Star Fox: The Storm
by general whitefur
Summary: Dinosaur Planet is saved, and the Star Fox team has a new lease on life. In the midst of celebrating their victory, the mysterious blue vixen that Fox McCloud gave his all to save boards the Great Fox, intent on thanking her hero in person. Meanwhile, out beyond Lylat, a new threat is rising, one that could endanger all of Lylat, and could be the missing link to Krystal's past.
1. A Vixen's Thanks

_**Dinosaur Planet has been saved by the heroic efforts of Fox McCloud. Hailed as a hero, his actions revealed the survival of the evil Andross, and ensured his final defeat.**_

 _ **In the process, Fox saved a mysterious blue vixen named Krystal, who has come aboard to express her thanks in person.**_

 _ **However, in the deep black of interstellar space, a new threat is rising, unbeknownst to Star Fox or Corneria, a threat that is a legacy of the man Fox destroyed for a second time, and that could spell doom for all of Lylat.**_

()()()

Chapter 1

A Vixen's Thanks

"I'm left with just one more thing to do..."

"...And that's to say thank you."

The door slid open just as a sweetly accented voice uttered those words. The owner of that voice, a strikingly beautiful vixen with deep, cerulean blue fur, sauntered onto the bridge of the Great Fox. Her name was Krystal.

"Well...Um...okay. I mean...sure no problem," answered Fox McCloud, the object of the vixen's thanks.

"Haha. You're not shy! Are you Fox?" came the high pitched voice of Slippy Toad.

Falco Lombardi, recently returned to the Star Fox team, elbowed Fox, a stupid grin on his face. Fox felt the tips of his ears and his cheeks start to heat up.

"My sensors indicate Fox's temperature is rising. Are you okay Fox?"

 _Oh gee thanks ROB, just what I needed you to say,_ thought Fox, his mental voice filled with bitter embarrassment. But rather than mouth off in response to the robot, who was simply being concerned in his tactless, artificial way, Fox looked at Krystal and said, "I'm gonna be just fine."

The two smiled at each other, and Fox felt a flutter in his stomach that he hadn't felt in ages. She was so beautiful. And strong. She'd yanked her staff away from him, and he'd known better than to try and take it back when he turned around. Her eyes though, those were what stopped him cold. Deep, ocean blue. They sparkled in the light of the stars outside the bridge of the _Great Fox_. He could stare into them forever, and not explore the barest fraction of their depths.

Silence descended on the bridge as the tod and the vixen gazed at each other. No one moved or said a word until Krystal finally asked, "Now that you've saved Dinosaur Planet, where are you off to next?"

Fox's awareness returned to him, and he cleared his throat. Had he really been doing that? Looking her in the eyes for that long? He must have. He remembered every instant. "We were going to head back to Corneria. Our home world. It's right here in the Lylat system."

Krystal frowned, and Fox could tell she was weighing something in her mind. He waited, giving her a moment to consider whatever she needed to consider. "It's a bit out of my way," she said, finally.

Fox's heart sank. He'd been hoping that she would want to come with him. Or that he could at least give her a ride to Corneria, and then find some way to convince her to stay while they traveled. But...looking at her, he recognized in her something from his own self. She was out here looking for answers. To what, he didn't know, but he knew the feeling well enough himself. He'd spent his own time wandering after his father died, trying to find answers of his own. The last thing he wanted was to keep her from it. "Oh. Then uh, I suppose this is goodbye?"

Fox couldn't see it, but behind him Falco put his beak in his palm, and even Slippy was shaking his head. "Oh. Well, could you take me back to my ship?" asked Krystal, her voice sounding more disappointed than he'd been expecting.

"Of course," he replied. "This way."

They hadn't taken two steps before Falco called out, "Yo! Fox, come here a sec. I got something you need to hear."

"Can it wait?" Fox turned to look at the avian. Falco didn't usually get this sort of urgent note in his voice for anything.

"Nope. Definitely not. Priority one. Absolutely must make sure you know this immediately." Falco shook his head an emphatic no.

Turning to Krystal, Fox looked apologetic. "Sorry. He doesn't usually use that many big words. Can I meet you in the hangar?"

"Of course." Krystal nodded, though her eyes were downcast again, and her tail drooped. "I won't leave without you." She walked off the bridge, and Fox's eyes tracked her. Dammit. He needed to do something. And he needed to do it fast. What was he thinking? Letting her go this easy?

He stepped back to Falco, and tried not to recoil when the avian wrapped an arm around his shoulders like a used car salesman. "What?"

Leaning in close, so that Fox could smell the faint scent of spearmint gum on his breath, Falco said, "I swear Foxy, by everything I hold sacred. So, I swear by me, I am not letting you screw this up."

"Screw what up, Falco?" Fox responded, stepped out of the falcon's unwanted embrace. He had a fair idea he knew what his ace pilot meant.

"Screw what up? Screw...oh jeez." Falco ran a feathered appendage down his beak and sighed in frustration. Making eye contact with Fox, he went on, "Foxy, come on. You just rescued the most gorgeous vixen known to Lylatian kind. And she came aboard to thank you. In person. Not to mention she asked where we're going next. She wants you to ask her to come with us, not show her the door, ya nutbag!"

Arms crossed, Fox waited for his friend to finish his tirade. Once Falco had come to a sputtering stop, Fox just said, "I know."

It made sense. He'd needed Falco to put it into words, but he'd gotten the sense. That downcast look. The droop of her tail when she went to the hangar without him. And the way she'd promised not to leave before she saw him again. That had to be what she wanted.

"You know?" Falco gawked at him. "What do you mean you know?"

"I mean, I know. She wants to come with us. I'm going to ask her." Fox relished the look of shock on Falco's face. Oh, it felt good to see he could still run circles around the avian when he wanted to. Fox didn't count himself as particularly smart, but he could always rest assured he clocked in ahead of Falco on the IQ test.

"Oh." Falco nodded. "Right. Sure you did. Just wanted to uh...well will you get going and do it!"

Fox held back a fit of laughter at the outburst, and then turned on his heel and got on the lift. He heard Slippy snickering as the doors hissed shut. Now, all he needed to do was think of what to say.

()()()

Krystal stood next to her ship in the aft hangar bay of the _Great Fox_. She had really been hoping Fox would ask her to come with him to Corneria, but she hadn't exactly been lying when she had told him it was a bit out of her way. She had a place or two she was intending to go, and none of them had been in Lylat. Still, Krystal wouldn't have minded pausing in her search for answers about the destruction of her home world, and for other survivors of Cerinia, if it meant staying with Fox. Something about him drew her to him. She couldn't say what. Not yet. But she...liked him. And besides, she'd been searching for the reason behind her world's destruction for the last two years of her life, and she still hadn't found it.

When she'd gotten the distress call from Dinosaur Planet, she had been in deep space, traveling between stars. A bit of luck had meant she had been in range to receive the call. A telepathic one. It had been unfamiliar. Not Cerinian. But anything telepathic had seemed like a better bet than what she'd been doing, and the people did sound like they were in genuine danger. She'd investigated, making contact with the CloudRunners, and then staring down a crazed, evil dictator on a flying galleon. After nearly being killed at his hands, she'd escaped and headed for the Krazoa Palace. She'd rescued a Krazoa, then been thrown into a diamond prison by a malevolent force known as Andross. A presence she'd recognized in a moment of terror drive, telepathic clarity. There she had floated, slipping in and out of wakefulness, sustained by the energies of the Krazoa, though for how long they would last she had had no idea.

She had almost given up hope, convinced she would die in that thing. Then Fox had come running up onto that roof. He looked at her, and had found it in his heart to show mercy and compassion to a girl he didn't even know. He finished the task given to her by a dying EarthWalker, to retrieve the Krazoa, and return them to the Palace. He had had no way of knowing they would be used to revive Andross, or that Andross would use her body to channel the Spirit energy.

It hadn't mattered to her at that moment though. It had mattered more the fact that the diamond holding her had suddenly disappeared, and that she was going to fall to her death, hundreds of feet down to the bottom of Krazoa Palace. Then, as if by magic, or more likely by fate, Fox had swung out a staff, her staff, and she grabbed onto it. He had saved her life twice in as many minutes. When he pulled her up to safety their eyes had met, and Krystal had been enchanted. Fox's eyes were emerald, intense, and concerned, even fearful, for her life. _And now we'll go our separate way. Just like it's always been for the few people I've found since I lost my home. Except...this time it's different. It hurts._ "Kazo."

"Krystal? Are you alright?"

Krystal jumped at the sound of his voice. Deep and strong and masculine. But safe. Caring. Considerate. She turned around, laying eyes on him. He was built for speed, not brute strength, that much she could see. He had muscles though. For a moment she let a fantasy of him wrapping those strong arms around her take hold of her mind. It would have been heaven. "Fox. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." _Or sense you,_ she realized with brief alarm. _I must have been quite caught up in myself._

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright," she answered, softly. She felt herself blush, that errant fantasy embarrassing her, even if she knew he couldn't have known.

"Krystal..." Fox started, then stopped and looked down at the floor. Krystal noticed that the tips of his ears were darker than they had been a moment before. He was blushing too!

"What is it Fox?" A bit of hopefulness entered her voice, hesitant but there. She took half a step toward him, closing a little bit of the distance between them.

Fox took a deep breath, rallying himself before he went on, "I wanted to say that, well, if you wanted to come with us to Corneria, that'd be okay. I want you to. I mean, as long as you want to. If you want to." The words all came out in a rush, after which he scratched at the nape of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. He looked quite cute all flustered.

As soon as the words had left his mouth Krystal's face lit up and her eyes began to glow. He wanted her to stay with him! Her grief turned to joy and she felt a slight flutter in her bosom as she looked into his eyes and replied, "I would love to Fox."

"Fantastic! I mean...that's great. Uh...really, really, great." He was blushing so hard it was visible through his fur.

She didn't mean to, but she reached out to his mind on instinct, and she felt him berating himself for being so shy. She held back a smile. _He's so bashful._ "Thank you Fox," she told him, meaning every word. "I'm really pleased you asked."

Fox smiled back. "It's no problem. Why don't we find you a room onboard? The trip back might take a day or two, depending on how much Slippy wants to push the engines. Do you uh, need anything from your ship?"

A room onboard? For some reason it came as a surprise to her. It shouldn't have. It was basic hospitality. And yet, coming from Fox, the offer seemed so genuine, so true. It wasn't an empty courtesy, it was an invitation to stay here. With him. "Yes," she answered. "Just a few things."

"Do you need any help?" he offered.

"No. I can handle it." She wanted him to stay, but at the same time, she needed a moment alone.

"Okay. Um, I'll find you a room. And then uh, well, see the panel over there?" He pointed to a control panel on the wall of the hangar. She nodded. "Just press the white button and ask for ROB. He'll tell you where to find me."

"I'll do that," she wagged his tail and nodded, then left the hangar, a spring in his step that made her grin. She'd made him happy. She didn't know him. Not well. Making him happy though? It made her happy. And she didn't bother worrying about explaining it.

When the door hissed shut behind him Krystal turned and entered her ship. She waited an extra second to make certain he didn't come back with something he'd forgotten to say, then let out the squeal of girlish delight she'd been holding in the past minute. She stamped her feet and jumped for joy, her tail wagging at the speed of light. Fox had asked her to stay. He wanted her to stay. Looking around, she started packing up the few things she had with her, feeling happier than she'd felt in years.

* * *

A/N: BOOOOOM! NEW FIC!

So, this is going to be my new regular fic, now that Star Fox: The First Generation, which just finished on Friday (go check it out if you want some James/Vixy stuff), is over. This is a much more personal story in terms of what the characters go through. There are big sci-fi themes for sure, but by and large I've tried to keep this focused on being a good old fashioned Fox/Krystal story.

I'll be keeping it T through out. There might be a scene or two that push the boundaries, but there won't be anything super explicit. No lewds. Sorry.

Briefly, a point of interest, this is actually based on a very old fic that I never finished. It is _**HEAVILY**_ modified, but if you've been reading my stuff for 4+ and you have a ridiculously long memory, some small bits of the early chapters might feel a little familiar.

As always a thank you to my co-author, Groundis, who was invaluable in helping me stay true to the characters all throughout, and to putting my own spin on his take on Katt, which you'll see play out later on.

I'll be updating every Thursday from here on out (forgive me tho if I miss, sometimes life happens yada yada yada), and if you're looking for a good Fox and Krystal fic to dive into, I hope you'll enjoy! Until next time...

-furufurufurfurufurfuurfurufurufurufurufurufurufur...fur


	2. A New Home

Chapter 2

A New Home

Krystal walked into the _Great Fox_ 's debarkation room wearing a white linen dress with gold trimming. It was one of the few articles of clothing she had had with her on her ship, other than her more revealing tribal wear. She would have worn that, but something about Fox's stuttering reaction to it told her that it wouldn't be appropriate for Corneria. "Am I the first to arrive?" she asked when she spotted Fox standing alone in the room.

A blush settled on his face when he turned to look at her. Krystal could sense how striking he found her. She blushed a little under his scrutiny. She was glad he liked the dress. He stared at her for a moment, and Krystal tried to mask her nervousness. Maybe this dress hadn't been the best idea? "What? Oh. Yeah. You're the first to arrive."

Krystal nodded and stood next to him, and they both did their best to avoid each other's eyes. Krystal still did her best to steal a few glances at him though. He was wearing his khaki vest and green shirt and pants. She'd seen him wearing it, or some variation of it, quite a bit. It must have been his favorite color. He also had a red ascot around his neck. A strange affectation for a mercenary. She wondered if there was a history to it. She was about to ask about it to try and break the tension when Falco and Slippy walked in.

"Sorry we're late," Falco said. "I had to drag frog boy out of the kitchen before he ate all the food."

"I've been keeping this ship together with duct tape and gum. Can I help it if I have an appetite?" Slippy glared at the avian.

"Yeah, you can." Falco crossed his arms, and Krystal got the feeling the avian really was steamed. "And you can leave the granola alone too. You know that's mine. Swear, you just do that to piss me off."

Slippy grinned, pleased with himself. "It works."

Falco's eyes widened and he said, angrily, "Why you little..."

"Falco!" Fox snapped.

Falco stopped mid sentence. "What?"

"Not this early in the morning, huh? And not in front of Krystal," Fox growled.

Krystal raised an eyebrow. Not in front of her? She wondered if her presence was going to end up having a civilizing effect on the three boys. If it did it probably wouldn't be a bad thing. "Don't mind me," she said.

"See, she's cool with it," Falco said. Krystal sensed he was about to berate Slippy again. Ordinarily she would've said something to stop it, but, strangely enough, she sensed little if any real hostility behind Falco's actions. In fact, she thought she detected a hint of affection in the barbs he was throwing in Slippy's direction.

"I mind Falco." Fox looked the avian in the eyes, and Krystal tried not to smile when Fox had to crane his neck back a little. He wasn't the tallest man she'd ever met. In fact, they were practically the same height. Despite that though, Fox had a presence and a confidence (despite the blushes and the stutters) that made him seem much more imposing. "And you're on my team now. Again. You know the rules."

The two men engaged in a brief staring contest, and then Falco backed down, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah. Whatever." He looked back at Slippy. "Just stop eating my granola, huh?"

Fox turned away and threw an apologetic look her way. She smiled back, trying to project to him that he didn't need to be embarrassed by his friends. She found them charming.

A moment later Peppy walked into the room, head turned down to a pad in his hand. He looked up and smiled at everyone. Krystal felt a warm wash of paternal affection from him. In some ways, he reminded her of her father. Safe, warm, and with a sparkling intelligence. "Hi everyone. Did I miss the fight?"

"Shoulda DVR'd it old man," Falco replied, his beak curling in a smirk.

"Shucks." Peppy chuckled.

The outer doors of the debarkation room opened and the ramp extended. Air wafted in from the outside, carrying with it a far different variety of smells than the sterile starship air of the _Great Fox_. Krystal's nose twitched as she caught the scent of fuel, oil, and machine lubricants, as well as the smell of the numerous technicians and other workers scurrying about. It smelled very much like any other spaceport she had visited. In a word it stank.

Fox led the way down the ramp, and she noted that his own nose was also twitching in a rather distressed manner. Krystal followed Fox and the rest down the ramp. Looking around she took in the sight of the place. It was quite the opposite of what she had been expecting. Though from an olfactory standpoint Corneria City Landing Field was a disaster, from a visual standpoint it actually looked quite nice. The terminals in the distance were all well maintained, with an aesthetic of graceful arches and shining metal and glass exteriors. Many of them even had small gardens surrounding them.

When they reached the bottom of the ramp they were approached by a female fennec. She looked about Fox's age, and was wearing dark coveralls with a few oil stains on them. "Uh oh," she heard Falco mumble.

Krystal glanced curiously at him. Her powers could sense a slight apprehension. Looking back at the fennec she saw that Fox recognized her. "Hey Fara," Fox said, his tone warm and familiar.

"What's up McCloud?" Fara responded, her voice equally casual.

"Finally got the money we need for repairs," Fox told her. "Slippy can give you and your crew all the details. It's a bit of a mess."

Fara looked past him towards the ship and shook her head. "What have you done to my father's design?"

Fox held up his hands in mock defensiveness. "Don't look at me. Blame the people who keep taking shots at us."

Krystal watched the exchange with a growing curiosity. Fox was conversing with this Fara so easily, so naturally, so confidently, just the opposite of the way he tended to converse with her. With Krystal he was always so bashful, so awkward, so prone to tripping over his own tongue. It was odd to see him talk so easily. Krystal was almost jealous. Then she noticed Fara looking at her. "Who's your new friend?"

Fox's eyes widened and his bashful side emerged. "Oh. Uh. That's Krystal. Um, I met her on uh, on the mission we were just on."

Fara stepped past Fox and walked up to Krystal. She smiled and introduced herself, "Fara Phoenix, pleased to meet you."

Krystal smiled back and responded pleasantly, "Krystal. Wonderful to meet you."

Falco and Slippy exchanged glances, and Fox looked a bit nervous. Peppy continued looking at his datapad, though by the tilt of his ears he was paying attention to the conversation. Fara turned back to Fox, tail wagging slowly, and said, "Why so nervous? You like you did on our first date."

Krystal's ears perked up and her tail swished. So Fara was an ex-girlfriend of Fox's. Interesting. For a moment she felt a surge of jealousy, an urge to protect territory that she wanted to be hers. Fox looked flustered. "Ummmmm..."

Fara turned back to Krystal, a cocky grin on her face. "Isn't he so adorable when he gets like that?"

Krystal blushed, realizing she and Fara thought alike. "Well..."

Fara laughed, an almost evil cackle. It was endearing in a strange sort of way. "Don't worry, I won't make you say anything. Remind me at some point to tell you a few of our more interesting stories from when we were together."

That caught Krystal's interest. It also caught Krystal's interest that she didn't sense any competitive energy from Fara. Whatever attraction she'd once had for Fox, it had long ago been subsumed in a comfortable, and close, friendship. "Such as?"

Fox suddenly sprang into motion and grabbed Fara by the arm, guiding her towards Slippy and Peppy. "Fara, why don't you talk to Slippy and Pep here about the repairs we'll be needing?"

Fara grinned wider. "Fine. Coward."

With a roll of his eyes, Fox said, "Good. Now, we'll be at the Defense Headquarters if you need to get in touch with any of us."

Fara flicked her tail. "Sure. I think I might take you up on that offer. See you around McCloud." Before she turned back to Slippy and Peppy, Fara gave Krystal a wink and made a sign with her hand, putting her thumb to her ear and her pinky to her muzzle. Krystal guessed it meant something along the lines of a promise to be in contact. She smiled and nodded. Krystal felt like she could grow to like this Fara. That, and she figured it might be a bit easier to get some details about Fox from her, rather than Fox himself.

Krystal followed Fox as he led her and Falco towards one of the nearby terminals. As they walked Krystal noticed a look of relief on Falco's face. "What is it Falco?" she asked.

"Nothing." Falco shrugged. "That just went a lot better than I thought it would. I kinda expected her to flip out a little more when she saw you."

Krystal arched an eyebrow. "Why would you expect that?"

Falco gave another, more self-conscious shrug. "Usually that's what happens when one of my old girlfriends sees me with anybody."

"You mean that's what happens to you when Katt sees you with somebody," Fox said, glancing over his shoulder. "Speaking of. Meow meow."

Falco stopped dead and started looking around, eyes wide as dinner plates. "Where?"

Fox pointed towards a nearby landing area that was occupied by a single pink starfighter. Krystal looked over and saw a pretty looking pink feline attending to it. "Do you know her?" she asked.

"Oh he does." Fox grinned, his tail swishing from side to side in obvious amusement. "Better go say hi. You wouldn't want her to get mad at you. After all, doesn't she always tell you about how cats used to eat birds?"

"Yeah." Falco looked a little pale around the eyes. Krystal hid a smile. And here she'd thought nothing could frighten the brash avian. "I hope she ain't hungry."

Fox chuckled. "Good luck. And tell her Star Fox sends its regards."

Falco broke off for her and Fox and headed over to meet the feline. "Who is she?" Krystal asked Fox.

"Katt Monroe," he answered. Krystal sensed a significance to that name. Before she could ask for more Fox continued, "They've been on and off with each other for...like, forever. She's also a hell of a pilot and a gifted programmer."

"Programming?" Krystal asked.

"Mmhmm. She does computer programming. Actually, she's made the majority of her money off of it," Fox explained. "She still flies mercenary though, every now and then. She says a good dogfight usually helps clear her mind."

"Hmm." Krystal smiled. In the distance she could sense Falco and this Katt Monroe. Their emotions were a roil of happy and hesitant, eager and reluctant. "I'd like to meet her, at some point."

Fox smiled. "I'd be happy to arrange it."

They walked for a few more moments and then entered the spaceport terminal. Krystal's jaw dropped at the sights. Her feet tapped on a clean, hard floor. Above her head holograms of planets and star systems floated. Holographic billboard advertised everything from tickets to the Corneria City film festival, to a new perfume out of a world called Katina, apparently derived from a species of mushroom on the planet.

Krystal soaked in all of this, but it was the people that really drew her interest. There were so many. Krystal saw mothers herding broods of children, slick looking businessmen walking hurriedly and confidently in their suits, briefcases in their hands. There were others, too, who, by their slack jawed expressions must have been tourists of some sort.

Her telepathy was having a field day with the range of emotions and surface thoughts she could sense. It was amazing. She'd not felt like this since her own world had been destroyed. She knew better than to over indulge though. Too much and she would end up with a migraine to end all migraines. She put up mental barriers, blocking out as much as possible. She let a little bleed through though, enough to make her tail sway with contented energy.

As they made their way through the crowd, Krystal noticed that people were giving her looks. Not hostile, but certainly curious. Looking around she realized the source of their curiosity. Her clothes were making her look a bit out of place. And her fur. She realized this when she caught a brief glimpse of a surface though wondering if she dyed it, or if it really was natural. She blushed when she saw a group of people staring and whispering. Judging by the looks on a few of their faces she was glad she'd put up her mental barriers. Men were the same no matter what planet they were from. That aside, she needed something to focus on to keep a lid on her growing anxiety. Falling into step beside Fox she said, "I suppose while I'm here I should find some local clothing."

"Why do you say that?" Fox asked.

"Well, I seem to be attracting a bit of attention," Krystal said.

Fox's eyes widened and Krystal sensed something from him. The feeling must have been strong for her to be able to sense it even through her mental barriers. She couldn't quite place what it was, but it was something along the lines of protectiveness. Perhaps even something akin to jealousy. Interesting. "Well," Fox said, "You are kind of..." he trailed off, blushing and avoiding her eyes.

"Rather what Fox?" Krystal asked.

Fox scratched the back of his neck. Though she hadn't known him very long, Krystal had been able to figure out he did this when he felt nervous. Fox found his courage and mumbled, "Beautiful."

Krystal's ears perked up and she felt a bit of color coming to her cheeks. A compliment from Fox? If only he knew how much that would light up her day. "Thank you Fox," she whispered, not sure what else to say. "But still, I do seem to stand out."

"Yeah." Fox pursed his lips. "I guess so."

When they left the terminal Fox led them towards an over-ground train. They both headed for the car that seemed the least crowded. Least crowded had been a very relative observation Krystal realized. The car they were in was still almost completely full, with no seats available. Krystal stood next to Fox, pressing close to him as another ten people forced their way inside. This close she could smell his scent, masculine, with a hint of cinnamon. He was hanging onto a pole next to him, though she wasn't quite sure why. Rather than reach across him she simply stood there as a computerized voice said, "Federation Line, direct to Academy Way, Corneria City Overground."

When the train kicked into motion Krystal hadn't been expecting it to do so in such a sudden and forceful manner. Having failed to brace herself she was swept off her feet. Krystal was certain she was going to land on her backside and be made to look a fool on her first day in Corneria City. Instead, she felt a pair of strong arms catch, and when she looked up she saw Fox gazing down at her. "Sorry," he said, looking a bit sheepish. "I should have told you the Corneria City trains don't have e-diffusers."

Krystal's ears flushed, and she mumbled, "Thanks." _Always saving me,_ she thought privately.

Fox got her back up on her feet, and made room on the pole for her. "Yeah, no problem."

The train came to a stop a few minutes later, and the same computerized voice announced, "Academy Way. Connection for Corneria City Direct Line. This is a Corneria City Overground service. Mind the gap."

The doors slid open and Krystal was very nearly shoved out off her feet as the other passengers hustled to get out before the train began moving again. She managed to keep her footing and let herself flow with the traffic out onto the platform. Spotting a railing she walked over to it. Looking out on the vista below them she got her first good look at Corneria. Below them was a large complex of buildings, most of them square and rectangular, and of varying heights. In the center rose a large, cylindrical, tower, with an upside down cone on the top. Glass window panes shown in the sunlight, and projected on them as holograms was a symbol depicting a blue planet, with three red stars inside of it, and the world flanked by a pair of laurel leaves. Beneath the symbol were the words Cornerian Defense Force. Krystal surmised that the buildings must have been part of a military installation.

Out past the buildings she spotted the sparkling blue waters of a massive bay, with a large, metal bridge spanning it. Across that watery distance was a metropolis unlike any Krystal had ever seen. Tall, glistening skyscrapers dominated the skyline, and it seemed to stretch on for miles. And, out beyond the bay, she spotted small islands, some of them built up, and others apparently left to nature. "Oh wow."

"It's spectacular, isn't it?"

Krystal jumped at the sound of Fox's voice. She nodded and said, "Yes."

Standing next to her, Fox set his hands on the railing and looked out alongside her for a moment. He turned his eyes towards the ground, and Krystal heard the scuff of his boot against the concrete. "Well, we better head down to Headquarters. And I'll have to introduce you to General Pepper. I'm uh, pretty sure he doesn't know you're with us."

"Is he your boss?" Krystal asked.

"He signs my paycheck," Fox said.

"I see. He assigns you the task, and you carry it out however you see fit," Krystal surmised.

Fox grinned and wagged his tail. "I am a merc. We value our independence."

Fox turned from the view and led the way down to ground level. Krystal followed him. "You know, for a mercenary, you seem more...noble, than most." Krystal bit her lip when a shadow crossed over Fox's face. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"No." Fox shook his head and looked at her. "I know what you mean. I know just how dishonorable some mercs can be."

Krystal sensed something in Fox's words, something deeper. And painful. She wanted to delve deeper and find out what he meant, what could make those words and that point so sensitive for him, but...she hesitated. She'd known him less than a week. It wasn't time yet.

The shadow passed from his face and he put on a brave smile. "It's alright. I'll tell you some time. It's a long story."

Krystal's face brightened and she smiled back. "Alright."

The two foxes stopped at the gates to the Cornerian Defense Force Headquarters. Fox flashed an ID badge, and then explained that Krystal was with him. The blue vixen stood nervously, staying behind Fox, as she eyed several large canines with rifles across their chests. She had to submit to a search, and her ears tipped back and her lips curled in a snarl when they did a pat down. Fox blushed and tried to project calm, and Krystal sensed no malintent behind it. She managed not to punch anyone in the muzzle.

When they were done the guard commander, a burly doberman, nodded and said, "She's clear." He handed her a lanyard. "Keep this with you at all times."

Krystal took it and hung it around her neck as they walked onto the grounds. The grounds of the Cornerian Defense Headquarters were far from what Krystal had expected of a military installation. There were flower patches, wide open areas covered in soft, green grass, and shaded by trees, and even fountains surrounded by benches. The whole place had a manicured feel, with hedges cut in the shape of starships, and wide, gravel paths crisscrossing the space. "This is beautiful."

Fox smiled. "It is. But don't let your eyes deceive you."

"What do you mean?" Krystal asked, cocking her head sideways.

"Take a look. A close look." Fox made a motion encompassing the area they were in. Krystal stopped and did her best to observe more keenly. Her eyes widened. "See it?"

"Yes." Krystal couldn't believe it. Hidden within the beauty and nature were cameras, security devices, and weapons emplacements. She realized the benches around the fountains could be topped over and used for cover, and were made of a lightweight but strong looking material. They even had small handles on their undersides which would allow them to be easily repositioned.

A buzzing sound filled the air and Krystal looked up to see a trio of security drones fly over the base, each of them held aloft by a pair of small vertical takeoff and landing engines. She also spotted armed guards patrolling the grounds, and standing in front of building entrances. Krystal realized the bucolic front was just that, a front. Here in the center of Corneria's military, nothing was being taken for granted.

"Oh." She pursed her lips. "I see."

Fox looked worried. "Hey, it's alright. It's all just a precaution."

"It's not that," she told him. She was angry at herself for not sensing any of this. Now that she had noticed it, her telepathy could sense the guarded mentality all around them. Not paranoid, at least for the most part, but there was a sense of suspicion, especially centered around the strange blue vixen walking around with Fox McCloud. But she couldn't tell him that.

During the two day trip from Sauria to Corneria she had thought about telling him about her telepathy. She'd come close a few times, but she'd always held back. It would be alien to him. Alien enough that he might recoil from her if he thought she was reading his mind. And she didn't want that. She didn't want to even risk that. So, summoning her strength, and shoving aside her misgivings over her oversight, she smiled and said, "It's clever."

Fox looked relieved when she smiled. "Yeah." They started walking again. "After Andross caught Corneria with our pants down during the Lylat Wars, Corneria has done whatever it can to be beef up its preparedness, and make sure we're ready for whatever comes at us next."

"Pants down?" Krystal asked, curious about the metaphor, and happy to see it make Fox blush.

"Oh. Uh...it's just an expression." Fox scratched the back of his neck. "It uh, means we got caught unawares."

"Hmm." Krystal flicked her tail. "An odd expression. I like it though."

They came to the end of the path they'd been walking, and Krystal looked up at the massive tower. It stretched so high up that, even when she craned her neck, she couldn't quite see the top unless she backpedaled a few steps. To reach the doors they had to climb a stairway, flanked by a series of flags. "What are the flags?" Krystal asked, looking up at them as they fluttered in the ocean breeze coming from the bay.

"Corneria and her allies," Fox replied. He pointed to a flag with a basket full of grain and fruit pouring out of it, set against an orange and white background. "That's Papetoon, where I was born."

"I thought you were Cornerian?" Krystal paused to look up at the flag.

"I am. My parents and I moved to Corneria shortly after I was born," Fox said. She saw a bit of sadness, like a painful memory, flash across his face. It was gone in an instant, replaced by nostalgia. "We would vacation there sometimes. I grew up here though, just outside Corneria City. This has always been my home."

Krystal nodded, and she reached out to touch his shoulder for a moment. He smiled at the gesture. "I guess you're wondering what the grains on the flag are for?"

"Yes. I assume it's an agricultural world?"

"Mmhmm. Highest crop yield in the system." Fox beamed with pride. "A lot of the planet is desert, but the valleys are the most fertile crop growing lands in Lylat."

"You seem quite proud. I thought you considered yourself Cornerian?" Krystal pointed out.

"I do." Fox started climbing the steps again. Krystal followed. "But that doesn't mean I can't be proud of the accomplishments of others." Fox looked considerate. "Some people think that greatness is in the hands of one person." He shrugged and looked at her. "Me? I know different. You can only do so much on your own. Ultimately, the only way to make progress is together. As a team."

The way he looked at her when she said that sent a little quiver of excitement through her body. He didn't say her name, or anything like that. But in those emerald eyes of his, she saw a confidence in her. As if he meant the words for her. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Krystal said, "So that's why you let Falco stay around, huh?"

Fox laughed. "Yeah. Something like that. Come on, let's go see General Pepper. Don't wanna keep the paycheck waiting."

Krystal laughed at his joke and followed him inside. Above the doors, in bright holographic lettering, were the words Cornerian Central Command. When she walked inside her jaw dropped. The main atrium was massive, with the ceiling almost a hundred feet above them. Walkways and elevator shafts crisscrossed the walls, spiraling up into the upper levels of the building. In the air a PA system droned announcements in a synthesized female voice. Her ears picked up the clicking sound of boots marching, walking, and in some cases, sprinting across the floor.

Looking down she saw that seal of the Cornerian Defense Force done in colored marble. Spreading across the floor in a circle were the seals of the Allied Defense Forces, which at first glance seemed to include most of the planets in Lylat. She'd brushed up on Lylat astrography on the trip to Corneria, so she recognized words like Katina and Fortuna.

Ahead of her was a reception area, staffed by enlisted personnel. Holograms flitted above their heads, relaying news reports and unclassified intelligence information from across the system. Every now and then an officer would stop and look up at them. Above the newscasts and intel reports were clocks showing the time in every time zone of every world in Lylat.

Beyond the reception desk were a pair of staircases that led up to a second level. The stairs wrapped around a fountain of crystal clear, gurgling water. The fountain was topped by a statue of a canine in in a red and gold dress uniform. He surveyed the area with a reassuring gaze, one hand held out in open greeting, but the other clenched in warning. She recognized the features from a news report she'd seen on the Sauria Crisis. "Is that General Pepper?" she asked.

"Yeah." Fox smirked. "Trust me, it's not really his idea to have it there. He's the Chairman of the Command Council. That means, in terms of military rank, he's the highest ranking. Only the President of the Cornerian Federation can give him orders. It's a tradition that a statue be displayed of whoever the Chairman is. But uh..." Fox's smirk widened. "I think he likes it."

While Krystal continued to look around at her surroundings, Fox checked in with the receptionist at the desk. He was a spotted feline. Krystal recognized him as an ocelot. There seemed to be a bit of tension between the two of them. Krystal sensed Fox's temper rise a bit, and then turn into a smug sense of victory. Fox stepped away from the desk and motioned for her to follow him. "What was that about?" Krystal asked.

"Nothing." Fox shook his head. "Not everyone in the military likes me. Or mercs in general. Sometimes you gotta deal with a little bit of snobbishness."

They climbed up the stairs and Fox led them to a bank of elevators. He walked them past several groups of people waiting in line to a private lift at the end. An armed guard stood outside it. He scrutinized them both, and then looked at Fox. "You can go up. Your friend has to stay here."

Krystal's eyes widened. That hadn't been part of the plan. A brief pang of fear shot through her stomach, but she tamped down on it. There was nothing to fear here. Despite the guard's firm tone, she didn't sense any unusual aggression from him, or any malintent. And besides, she could handle herself.

Fox on the other hand didn't much care for the idea. "She's with me."

"I understand, sir," the guard replied, keeping his frustration out of his voice. "But she hasn't been cleared, and we can't have random civilians going up to see the Chairman."

Fox shook his head. "Look. Maybe you didn't hear me. She's with me. Check with General Pepper. I have a meeting, and you don't want to make me late for it. He'll be fine with it."

Krystal watched as Fox and the guard stared each other down. The guard, a canine of mixed ancestry, stood a full four inches taller than Fox, and probably outweighed him by a dozen kilos. Fox looked unimpressed. The guard grunted and turned away. He brought his wristcomm to his muzzle and spoke into it. A moment later he said, "Yes sir," and turned around. "She can go up."

"Thanks," Fox said, a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

Krystal smiled and followed Fox into the elevator, shooting an apologetic look at the canine guard. He either didn't notice or didn't care. Krystal put it out of her mind. The doors shut and Fox hit the button for the top floor. "They take security seriously around here."

"Yeah." Fox nodded. "Pepper's okay though. Don't worry about him. He's kind of a softy, actually."

Krystal smiled and wagged her tail. She liked the sound of that. She snuck a glance at Fox, and noticed that he'd moved a little bit to the side, away from her. Odd. He'd actually been doing that a lot since they'd met. It was never all that obvious, but he did tend to put a little extra distance between the two of them whenever he could. "Fox, is something the matter?"

"What?" Fox looked at her, abashed. "What do you mean?"

Taking a breath, Krystal said, "It's just, whenever we're alone together like this you seem to, I don't know, put a little distance between us. It's alright. I don't mind having you close."

Fox's eyes widened and he blushed. Despite that he shuffled closer to her, and Krystal smiled as she felt his tail brush against hers momentarily. "Sorry. I know, I can be a little shy."

Laughing softly, Krystal replied, "Don't worry. It's cute."

She had to hold back another laugh when his jaw dropped and his tail wagged at several orders of magnitude past the speed of light before he got it back under control. The doors to the elevator slid open and Krystal followed Fox out into a well appointed room, full of plush furniture and potted plants. Fox took a deep, calming breath as he approached the female canine sitting behind the room's only desk. "Hi Martha, we're here to see General Pepper."

Martha, a middle aged labrador looked up at him and said, "He's waiting for you. Go right in."

She hit a button under the desk and a green light flashed on above the door before it slid open. Krystal followed Fox inside the room. It was a spacious room, with couches arranged in a square, and holoscreens on the walls. Sitting behind a carved wooden desk in front of a floor to ceiling window was a hound who looked to be in his early sixties, wearing a red uniform with gold trimming. "General," Fox said, giving the man a lazy salute.

Standing up from his chair, the hound smiled and said, "Glad to see you made it back to Corneria in one piece, Fox. Have a seat." He motioned to a pair of chairs in front of the desk.

Fox took a seat, and Krystal sat down next to him. Pepper noticed her and smiled again. "We haven't met. You must be Krystal."

"Yes sir." Krystal nodded and held her hand out. Pepper took it and gave it a firm shake, then sat back down. "I hope it isn't inappropriate of me to be up here. There was some trouble at the elevator."

Pepper snorted. "That's just Gillespie. He's doing his job, which is to be suspicious. Don't worry." Pepper put on a reassuring smile, and then turned to Fox. "I take it from your after action report that Krystal will be joining your team."

Fox's eyes widened, and Krystal nearly fell out of her chair. She looked at him, wondering what Pepper meant. "Well sir, I uh..." Fox frowned. "I hadn't asked her yet but..."

Krystal's eyes lit up. Her tail wagged. He wanted her to be a part of his team. She'd wondered about that look in his eye earlier, on the steps leading up to the main building. And, now that she thought about it, she'd spotted him in deep and intense conversation with every member of his team on the trip back. Even Falco had seemed to be taking the conversation seriously. Not to mention that all those conversations had stopped whenever she entered the room.

"Well," said Pepper. "Are you going to ask her?"

Krystal caught Fox shoot a dirty look at the General. She sensed Fox's frustration at being pressured into doing something like he was sort of subordinate. He recovered quickly though, and Krystal quivered with anticipation as he opened his muzzle to speak. "Krystal, would you be willing to join Star Fox? At least..."

"Yes."

"...at least go through the...yes?" Fox stopped and a big grin spread across his face. "You said yes."

"Yes. Yes I did." Krystal grinned too, and she caught Pepper rolling his eyes. She didn't care. "I know I'll have to go through training and trials, but I'm ready. I want to do this. I want to find a new home."

Fox reached out to her with a hand, and she took it. Rather than shake though, Fox held her hand in his and said, "You will Krystal. You will."

* * *

A/N: Krystal has found a new home! Hopefully nothing terrible happens to it...

Real quick I just want to give a thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it's awesome to see so many people are already enjoying the story! :D

Well, I'll keep this one short and just say, see you next week!

-general whitefur


	3. Trouble

Chapter 3

Trouble

A cool morning breeze ruffled through Krystal's hair as she jogged along the street. Next to her, sweat beading on his forehead, was Fox McCloud. It had been a month since she'd officially joined the team, and in that time they'd gotten to know each other quite well. They'd grown close, staying up into the wee hours of the morning talking, laughing, and watching movies. Krystal had never felt this close to someone before.

Last week Fox had asked her if she wanted to join him for his morning jog, and she'd eagerly accepted the offer. It gave her a chance to start her day with him, and to get to know a little more about the neighborhood they were living in.

When she'd joined the team Krystal had been expecting to be living either in a barracks somewhere, or to have to get her own apartment. Neither of those things had turned out to be the case. Instead, Fox had shown her to a family home about two miles outside of Corneria City, tucked into a quiet, idyllic, suburban neighborhood. They'd arrived to find both Falco and Slippy already there. Fox had explained that, when they were on Corneria, they shared the house, which was more than large enough to accommodate all of them. Later, she'd learned why, and it had taken all of her strength not to reach into his mind and comfort him with her powers.

They stopped at an oak tree near the park, both of them slowing and putting their hands behind their heads, taking deep, steady breaths. They'd gone about three miles this morning, in a circle around the neighborhood. This oak tree was where they stopped each morning. Once she had her breath back she said, "Fox. I want to thank you."

"For what?" he asked as he leaned against the tree with one outstretched arm.

For a moment she was distracted by the firm, lean, musculature of his biceps. Not bulky. He was built for speed and endurance. She preferred that. Ripped men looked a bit...silly, in her eyes. She much preferred Fox's toned, sleek look.

"Krystal?"

"Oh. Uh, sorry." Krystal blushed like mad. He'd caught her looking. _Oh, because you were being so subtle about it. Get a grip girl, you've only known him a month._

"For what?" He looked at her with a knowing gaze, and she could see him struggling to keep the corners of his muzzle from turning upward. Oh the tease, he knew what she'd been doing.

"Nothing. I...I don't know why I said that." Krystal frowned, then stepped over to him and wrapped him in a hug. She felt his spine stiffen, and she squeezed him all the harder for it. "I just wanted to say thank you. For taking me in. For giving me a chance."

His arms wrapped around her back, and his muzzle rested on her shoulder. They were the same height. "You're welcome. You uh, you don't always have to thank me though."

Krystal laughed and pulled away. Beeping him on the nose she said, "I know. You just feel so nice when I say..." She stopped, her eyes wide for an instant as she caught herself. "What I mean to say is, you always look so nice, and, well, the hug too, that feels nice. Nice enough. I mean, really nice. But not that nice. Not..." Krystal cursed mentally at herself. She was getting careless. She didn't want him to know about her powers. Not yet."I'm going to stop talking now."

With a smile, Fox said, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who can trip over their words."

Shaking her head she punched him playfully on the arm. "Race you home?"

"Last one there has to make breakfast. For the whole team."

"You're on." Without waiting for him to reply, Krystal tore off in the direction of the house, legs and arms pumping with the promise of Fox's cooking.

Fox's feet pounded on the sidewalk as he ran, tail billowing behind him. His eyes were planted firmly on Krystal, who was maintaining a small but growing lead on him. They were coming up to the house, and he laughed as she vaulted over the low stone wall surrounding the front yard. "You win!" he yelled to her.

She turned and jumped for joy, her tail wagged behind her as she slipped in the front door. Fox slowed to a walk and approached the house. Years ago this house had always had a bittersweet feeling. It had been the place he'd grown up as a child. It had also been the place where he lost his mother. And then the place where he'd opened the door one day to see a distraught looking Peppy and a grim General Pepper.

He'd told Krystal the story not long after he'd set her up in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Walking through the gate, Fox let out a brief, wistful sigh. It was a five bedroom house. Two downstairs, and three upstairs. Krystal had been curious about why his parents had had so many rooms, if they'd only ever had Fox. The look on his face must have said it all, because when she turned around she blanched and reached out to him. He'd told her the story. All of it. How his mother had been taken from him. How his parents had always planned to have a big family. And how, thanks to Andross, all that had been cut tragically short. He'd had tears in his eyes, and so had she.

That wistful sigh turned into a smile. Sometimes he got this crazy idea in his head that, when he confided in her, she felt the same emotions he did. _You're being crazy. She's just empathetic. Besides, you've been dealing with Falco for a month. That makes any emotional expression other than 'jackass' seem crazy._

He opened the door and walked inside the house. Off the front door was a staircase leading up to the second level, and he caught Krystal walking up, her tail disappearing as he shut the door. "Showering?" he called after her.

"Yeah. I'll be down in ten," she replied.

"Alright."

Fox headed into the kitchen and opened the cupboards, looking for the pancake mix. He spotted Falco sitting at the kitchen island, munching on a bowl of Fruities cereal and flipping through his phone. "Morning," Fox said.

"Morn."

"Morn?" Fox glanced back at him, then pulled the mix off the shelf.

"Yeah. Morn. What?" Falco glanced up at him. "What's that smell?"

"I just went running," Fox replied.

"Uh huh. Try not to stand too close to me, will ya?"

Fox snorted and started preparing the food. Upstairs he heard the sound of the shower running, and for a moment he imagined what it would be like to be a fly on the wall in there. He'd never met a girl as gorgeous as Krystal. With her slender, athletic build, combined with curves in all his favorite places that made her look like some warrior goddess.

"Hey Foxy."

"Yeah Falco?" Fox looked over at his friend, and saw that he was watching him intently.

"You need to go beat off something other than those eggs? Cuz you got that look," Falco told him, a smirk on his beak.

Fox blushed and tipped his ears back. "Screw you," he growled. Falco chuckled and went back to his phone.

Getting a hold of himself, Fox poured the batter into four even circles on the frying pan. He loved cooking. Before his mom died, she'd taught him how to make his own pancakes. Somehow he never felt like they were as good as his mother's, but, thus far, everyone who'd ever tasted them said they were the best damn pancakes they'd ever had. Even his father, a cook in his own right, had left breakfast foods to his son.

"Where's Slippy?" Fox asked.

"Asleep."

"Still?"

"He stayed up late last night," Falco replied. "Said somethin' about watching the new season of some anime crap. You know him. Probably fell asleep halfway through."

"Right." Fox hid a smile. Same old Falco.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway leading to the kitchen, and Fox looked up from his rapidly golding pancakes to see Slippy enter, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he yawned. "Hey guys."

"Hey Slip." Fox smiled and said, "Falco was asking about your new anime. Said he wants to know if it's any good."

Behind him Fox heard Falco caw in protest, but before he could do anything Slippy ran over and started talking so fast it sounded like the legal disclaimer on a car insurance commercial. Reaching for a plate, Fox got the first stack of pancakes on it and set it down in front of Slippy. Slippy stopped talking and started drooling. "Oh those look good."

"Wait for the butter and syrup Slip," Fox advised. He opened the fridge and retrieved the two items, then set them in the microwave to warm them up. Once they were done he handed them back and said, "Dig in."

"I call next batch," Falco said.

"Sure. Unless Krystal gets here first."

"Playin' favorites, huh?" Falco cocked an eye ridge. "I see how it is."

"Do you?"

"Someone's looking to get into some blue panties," Falco said.

Fox's eyes widened and his lips curled back in a snarl. He spun around and fixed Falco with a glare rated to melt through durasteel. Falco flinched. "Don't ever say something like that again, Falco. Hear me?"

Slippy stopped with a bite of pancake midway to his mouth. Falco held up his hands in surrender. "Hey man, sorry. Didn't know you took it so seriously."

Turning back to his pancakes Fox let images and memories of the past month with Krystal float through his mind. He smiled a bit, his bad mood evaporating. _Seriously? Oh Falco, if only you knew the half of it._

()()()()

"What do you say Commander. Am I crazy?"

Bill Grey smiled as he sat in the cockpit of his Vici-class fighter. He and his second in command, Lieutenant Commander Fay Spaniel, were flying a patrol in the Hinterlands region of Katina. Stretching as far as the eye could see was brown dirt, broken up by patches of vivid green around river beds, and massive, pink mushrooms. "No. There's no reason the Noodle Incident couldn't have gone down that way."

"See. See! Miyu keeps telling me I'm crazy."

Bill could hear the sort of loving exasperation in Fay's voice that came with a long term romance. Fay could be a handful. High strung, high energy, and a little crazy. A few months ago they'd gotten into a brawl in a local bar with some Oikonny loving thugs, and she'd giggled the whole time as she kneed them in their crotches. That said, she was a damn good pilot, and Bill wouldn't rather have anyone as his number two in Husky Squadron. "I think that has more to do with the fact that we'll never know how the Noodle Incident went down."

"Unless he starts writing again."

Bill chuckled. "That's not gonna happen."

"Could happen."

"Sure. Ever the optimist."

Before Fay could reply, Bill saw his commpanel start flashing. Tapping the controls he said, "Grey. What is it?"

"Commander Grey? This is base. We're detecting an approaching object, coming in at near terminal velocity from orbit in your sector."

"Fay? You hearing this?"

"Yup. I'm looking."

"Base, can we have projected impact coordinates?"

"Sending them now," the controller at base replied.

A set of coordinates appeared on Bill's screen. Then a sound like a clap of thunder, only about a hundred times louder, filled the air. Bill's radar flashed and a holoscreen appeared on his canopy displaying what looked to be a falling meteorite. "I see it. We'll check it out."

"Understood. Call in once you have something. Base commander says not to worry, we were expecting some junk from Meteo today anyway."

"Acknowledged. Husky Lead out." Bill closed the comm channel and angled his fighter towards the column of smoke on the horizon. Fay followed him, still on his wing. "Probably just a meteor," he muttered to himself. Why, then, did he have a bad feeling about this?

()()()()

Fay brought her fighter down half a dozen meters from Bill's. She went through the shutdown cycle, then popped the canopy and doffed her helmet, revealing a pair of floppy ears and long, white, hair. Grabbing her sidearm she hopped down to the ground, her boots crunching in the soft, sandy, Katinan dirt. The air was still, hot, and dry. It also contained the acrid scent of superheated metal. If it had been a meteorite, it must have been one with a nickel or iron core.

Crunching her way across the dirt, she met Bill at the edge of the crater, then looked down. She did a double take. Where she'd expected to find nothing but a chunk of space rock, she saw instead a large, blue, metal object. It was shaped vaguely like an hourglass, with a narrow middle and two bulbous ends. It looked to be about two meters tall, and it was popping and groaning as it cooled.

Whatever this thing was, it certainly wasn't a space rock. It had sleek metal lines, and it was smooth and unpitted. It was clearly artificial. Maybe a satellite? But it didn't look like anything she'd seen in Lylat. Looking at Bill, she said, "What is it?"

Bill frowned and crossed his arms. He looked at her and then at the unidentified object, and said, "Trouble."

* * *

A/N: Hey all! What's this? A plot point? Probably. Keep it in mind, because it'll be popping back up in the near future.

Speaking of the future, a slight change in plans for this story. I've decided to move the update schedule to every other week from here on out. I apologize for any of you who are really enjoying the story and are feeling the "morrrrr" but I think this'll give people a better chance to read each current chapter, without worrying that they're going to fall behind. So yeah, it'll still be Thursdays, but we'll be doing every other week. That means next week will be an off-week.

Welp, that's all I've got for now. As always, a thank you to my reviewers, as well as those who have dropped favs and follows, you guys are all super awesome!

See you guys next time!

-general whitefurfurfrufrufurfurfurfur


	4. Double Date

Chapter 4

Double Date

 **Zap! Zap! Brazap!** Three shots, all of them near misses. Krystal lowered the blaster rifle and growled in frustration. She was standing in one of the Phoenix Corp training rooms, an EP-1A rifle in her hands. She'd been doing target practice on a small, circular drone, that hummed as it buzzed around the room. She'd managed to score a few hits, but somehow she got the feeling they were all more from luck than anything else.

Behind her the door whisked open and she turned to see who it was. "Morning Fox."

"Morning Krys. You practicing already?" Fox smiled and motioned towards her rifle.

Krystal flicked her tail. "Mmhmm. I took the bus here, and Fara gave me the room. I wanted to get in some extra time with the new rifle type before you got here. I haven't had much luck though, and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong."

Coming over to her Fox said, "Show me what you're doing."

Krystal nodded and brought her rifle up, the drone sensed it and started moving. Frowning in concentration Krystal sighted on the target and squeezed the trigger. **Bap! Zap! Kzap!** "Urrrr!" Three more misses. "I don't understand!"

Fox gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I think I see it. I've had you practicing on laser rifles. This is a bit different."

"I thought you said it was basically the same." Krystal frowned at him, then looked down at her rifle. "It fires bursts, like my staff. I figured that would make it easy."

Fox shook his head, but he kept that reassuring smile. She liked that about him. He never grew frustrated when she struggled with new ideas or technology. He seemed to have an endless well of patience. A good quality in a leader, especially with teammates like Falco. "Well, your staff is actually a lot more like our lasers than our blasters," Fox said, using the slang terms for beam firing weapons and burst firing weapons.

"How do you mean?" Krystal cocked her head.

"Lemme show you." Fox walked over to one of the weapons lockers and selected a weapon she recognized as a LE-1C, a laser beam weapon they'd been using the past couple weeks. He handed it to her and said, "Try it with this."

Taking the rifle Krystal raised it and aimed for the drone. She squeezed the trigger, once, twice, thrice, firing three sustained beams for one second each. She hit all three. "Okay, what am I doing right here that I'm not doing right there?"

"Pointing and shooting," Fox said.

"How else should I shoot?" Krystal asked, confused.

"Lemme show you." Fox took the blaster rifle and aimed for the drone. Except he didn't aim right at it as she'd been doing. Instead of centering it directly in his field of fire, he aimed just the slightest bit to the left. The gun let out three reports, each of which was followed by the pinging noise indicating a hit. Handing the rifle to her he said, "The reason I started you on the LEs is that beam weapons use a particle confinement beam to maintain the beam's integrity. It also means you don't have to compensate for particle drift. With the blasters, which use plasma, the confinement energy is weaker, so the energy drifts slightly to the left as it travels. I don't know why, exactly, but it does."

Krystal nodded, listening carefully to what he said. Holding out her hand for the rifle she took it and said, "How much to the left?"

"Uh, well. Here, lemme see."

Krystal was about to hand the weapon back when she felt Fox standing behind her. She blushed as he took her arms and gently guided her into the ideal firing stance. She could feel his breath on her neck, and smell the aroma of his shampoo. She smiled and glanced back at him. He noticed and blushed, a wave of his nervous energy breaking against her telepathy. Making sure to pitch her voice so he wouldn't think he'd done anything wrong, she said, "That much?"

Fox stepped back, scratching the back of his neck and looking away in mild embarrassment. "Yeah. Yeah uh, that should be, that should be good. You're really good that way." His eyes widened. "I mean uh, I mean the gun! Not you. Not that you aren't..."

Krystal giggled and turned back to the drone, though she cupped an ear in his direction. She enjoyed listening to his flustered stammering. Keeping her grip on the weapon, and following his guidance on her aim, Krystal let loose with another three shots. **Zap! Bap! Zap!** She scored two hits, but the third went wide. Walking up next to her, Fox said, "Better. Ready to get serious?"

"Always," she replied.

Fox chuckled. "Good. Let's see you handle this." He walked over to a control panel on the wall and tapped a series of commands. The first target drone was joined by four others. "Let's see how many hits you can get. You've got thirty seconds. Go!"

Krystal aimed and opened fire as the drones started zipping around the room. She frowned in concentration, but on the inside she felt an elation she'd not felt in years. For the first time since her world had been destroyed, her life felt right.

()()()()

Fara Phoenix strode down the halls of her Phoenix Corp testing compound, ears swiveling as she listened to the sounds coming from the various closed off rooms. Mostly just the zaps of weapons or the hum of new scanning equipment, though she did hear the roar of the new Landmaster engine they were prototyping. Once it was done she intended to get Fox to buy a few of the new versions. They'd be useful.

She paused at the door to one of the shooting ranges. She could hear the sound of electrified plasma splattering against non-conductive drone armor. It brought a smile to her face. Krystal's training seemed to be going well. How could it not be? What with Fox paying such close personal attention to it.

The blue vixen remained a bit of an enigma, even to Fara, who had been trying to dig up as much information on her as possible after meeting at the spaceport. All she'd been able to find were references to Cerinia's location, and that there had yet to be any official first contact between them and Lylat. Odd, but not unexpected. Cerinia was a very long way from Lylat. And, of course, she'd discovered that, at some point a little over a year ago, all contact had been lost with the system.

Opening the door she slinked into the room, not wanting to disturb the two other vulpines while they poured training rounds at a swarm of drones. Krystal seemed to be doing alright, though Fox was hitting each one with uncanny accuracy. Sure shot indeed.

After about twenty seconds they stopped firing, and Fara said, "Not bad."

Fox turned to her and smiled. "Shouldn't you be out on the docks, working on something?"

"Eh." Fara shrugged. "Only when I'm on vacation." Running a successful corporation like Phoenix Corp, an independent subsidiary of her father's company, Space Dynamics, was a stressful job. That being said, she didn't like going to resorts or that sort of thing without Boniface, her husband, and so she often did working vacations, putting in hours fixing the machines she designed and invested in. That was why she'd been on the docks when the _Great Fox_ had arrived. "How are you two doing in here?"

"I'm doing great," Krystal replied, though her sour expression belied her statement. "I mean, I've had more misses than hits overall, but, you know, other than that..."

Fara cackled. "I hate EPs too."

Krystal's expression lightened. "I'm with you. Give me a laser any day."

"Agreed." Fara walked over to one of the tables, where an array of weapons were laid out. Parking her rear on the edge, she said, "There was a reason I came down here though."

"Oh?" Fox asked, walking over and setting his blaster down. Krystal set hers down too, and grabbed up one of the lasers, holding it to her chest and looking much more pleased with life. She'd end up a designated marksman in no time with an attitude like that. "Nothing bad, I hope."

"Depends on if you think dinner and dancing is bad," Fara replied, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Are you asking me out?"

Fara noticed Krystal glancing at the two of them when Fox said that, and if she didn't know better she'd have said a hint of jealousy crossed the blue vixen's expression. Flicking her tail, Fara said, "I'm happily married, thank you very much. Bonny is coming in with a few days leave tonight, and we thought we'd get something to eat and then go dancing."

"Where?" Fox asked.

Krystal walked over and added, "Can I join you?"

Fara smiled at her. "I was about to ask if you'd like to." She turned back to Fox. "We haven't decided on a restaurant, but don't worry, I'll keep us out of anything too ritzy. As for the dancing, Ben Goodworth's band is playing the Bushy Tail Club, so I thought we'd go there."

"Really? Awesome." Fox looked genuinely pleased. She'd know that would sell him on it. Fox loved swing dancing, something his mother and father had both had an affinity for when he was younger, before they'd both been lost. "What time?"

"I'll call you once Bonny and I have that sorted out. And Krystal, come see me when you're done here and I'll hook you up with something appropriate to wear." Fara stood up. "But consider it a double date."

She wanted to laugh at the way Fox blanched and Krystal vibrated with excitement. Instead she walked out of the room without another word, tail wagging behind her. After she put some distance between her and the shooting range she grinned and shook her head. "Those two."

()()()()

Krystal admired herself in her closet mirror. She'd gone to see Fara after she and Fox had finished their training for the day, and the fennec had immediately taken her to one of Corneria City's fanciest department stores. Krystal had nearly choked when she found out how much Fara was going to spend on her, after she'd picked out a blue evening dress, with matching flats, and a white purse. Before she could protest Fara had marched over to the counter, swiped her card, and told her in no uncertain terms that it was a gift. All Krystal could think to do was hug the fennec and thank her for her generosity.

With one final look to make sure everything was in place, including her jewelry, she nodded and headed out to the driveway to meet Fox. She smiled when she saw him, wearing a light brown sport coat, with a green button down, and slacks. He looked quite dapper, and she blushed for a moment when she saw the white fur of his chest ruff peeking out from the top two open buttons of his shirt. "Hi Fox."

Fox, who had been looking down at his phone, jumped a little when he heard her voice. He looked up at her and she heard his breath hitch. His eyes traveled along her form, pausing briefly at the slit that ran up the left side of her dress, leaving her leg exposed, then at the cut of her dress that teased him with the slightest hint of her cleavage. His face split into a grin when he met her eyes, though he maintained a little bit of a sheepish expression. She could sense he was a little embarrassed that he'd almost started staring. "Hey Krys," he said, using the affectionate little nickname he'd given her. "You look..." he trailed off, his adam's apple bobbing as he gulped, his eyes traveling back down her body again.

Smiling, Krystal stuck her left leg out a bit further, giving him a glance at her thigh. She had to stop herself from laughing when she sensed the sparks of a near short circuit flaring up in his brain. "Yes Fox?"

"Incredible," he finally managed.

His compliment, warm and sincere, lit up the world for her. Her smile, she knew, lit up his. "Thank you Fox. You're looking quite handsome yourself."

"Thanks. I uh, haven't gotten dressed up like this in a long time," Fox told her. He brushed a bit of lint off his sport coat. "I'm kinda surprised any of this still fits."

"Well it fits you very well. You look dashing." His tail wagged, and he didn't seem to know quite what to say. That was alright. She'd rescue him from having to keep talking about his appearance. "So, where are Fara and her husband?"

Fox was about to answer when a white car pulled up, the only noise coming from its tires, the electric engine otherwise silent. The front doors opened and Fara stepped out wearing a red dress that stopped right above her knees, and wearing a pair of pearls on each ear. From the driver's side stepped an arctic fox, wearing a white suit, shirt, and pants, with a black tie. Fox smiled and said, "Bonny, it's been awhile."

Bonny came around the car and shook Fox's hand. "So it has. Wonderful job on that Sauria Crisis. Really, top caliber work there."

"Thanks. And congratulations on your promotion." Fox turned to Krystal and introduced her to Bonny. "He's the youngest Captain in the Cornerian Navy in...what is it?"

"Fifty years," Bonny said, taking Krystal's hand and planting a gentlemanly kiss on it. "And yes, I am that good."

Fara rolled her eyes. "I can see he's abandoning his usual humble route tonight."

"Right. Sorry. It was pure nepotism." Bonny rolled his eyes at Fara, which made the fennec cackle in amusement.

"Nepotism?" Krystal asked, curious. She liked Bonny's accent. It reminded her of some of the more posh families from her homeworld.

Bonny shrugged and answered, "My family is a Navy family. Ten generations. Men and women. My father recently retired as a rear admiral, and a well respected one at that. Fara-bean likes to say that I got promoted because of my pedigree. Even if no one in the Navy would be caught dead saying that."

"Not in front of you," Fara whispered.

"I heard that." Bonny crossed his arms. "Have a look at my combat record, my Academy scores and aptitude tests, and the three Military Crosses, and two Purple Hearts I have. I earned my command. My crew would agree."

Krystal looked between the two of them and then at Fox. She could sense the competitive spirit that crackled like an electric storm between the fennec and the arctic fox. There was a tension there that she didn't usually associate with husband and wife. And yet, between the two of them, she could sense that most of this was for show. They enjoyed it. "Are they always like this?"

Fox chuckled. "I'm afraid so." Looking at Bonny he said, "We gonna get going?"

"Yes." Bonny nodded and headed back to the car. "We better, before I tear that little dress from her body and..."

"Bonny," Fara said, looking at him with fire in her eyes. Krystal blushed at the emotions radiating off the two of them.

"Sorry." Bonny shook himself. He looked over at Krystal then, embarrassed. "I do apologize. That was dreadfully inappropriate for our first meeting."

Krystal smiled and paused as Fox opened the rear door for her. "Don't worry. I understand. Husbands and wives are allowed to be a little inappropriate, aren't they?"

Everyone piled into the car, with Bonny driving and Fara beside him, and Fox and Krystal sharing the backseat. Krystal leaned back in the comfortable leather upholstery and glanced out the window. The sun had set, and she could see the lights of Corneria City in the distance. The glimmering skyscrapers, clustered together, gave off an ethereal glow, while a mile away the Corneria City Space Elevator blinked its anti-collision lights. If she looked closely she could even see the pods and cars flying up and down along the tether. Corneria's level of technology never failed to astound her. Her own people had been advanced, but in ways different from this. It amazed her what the Cornerians had accomplished, especially in the realm of space travel.

"So," said Fox, "Where exactly are we going? And will there be food there?"

Fara looked back at him and answered, "The Bushy Tail Swing Club and Restaurant, so yes, there will be food there."

"Good."

Fox looked a little nervous all of a sudden. Krystal was about to ask him what was wrong when her stomach growled. Fox's ears cupped towards the noise, and Krystal giggled. "I'm a bit peckish."

"Don't worry, the food there is wonderful," Bonny told her, turning onto the highway leading directly to Corneria City. "You know, the Bushy Tail is where Fox and Fara had their first date."

"You mean our only," Fara corrected him.

"Only?" Krystal asked, leaning forward, curious. Fox looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah. We both realized we had eyes for other people," Fara said, sounding a bit wistful as she looked at Bonny.

"Hmm. Who did Fox have eyes for?"

"Andross," Fara said.

There was a brief silence in the car, then Fox said, "Well, thanks for turning things grim, Fara."

"Woops." Fara smirked. "Well, to be fair to the Bushy Tail, I'm not the only girl he's taken there on a date."

"Really?" Krystal brightened and looked at Fox. "How many girls have you brought to this place?"

"It's not him that brings them," Bonny said, merging as he made for the next highway exit.

"What do you mean?" Krystal cocked her head.

"He means it's where I always set him up on dates," Fara replied. "Not that it's ever done much good."

"Thanks Fara." Fox ran a hand down his muzzle.

Krystal laughed. "Be nice Fara. I think you might kill him."

"Aww." Fara made a pouty face. "And I was just about to tell you my favorite date story."

Fox rested his head on his seat's headrest and muttered, "It's going to be a long night, isn't it?"

()()()()

The Bushy Tail Swing Club and Restaurant, or simply the Bushy Tail, looked to Krystal to be one of those rare establishments that spoke to both fun and class. Inside the restaurant portion the lighting was bright enough to see by, but soft enough to give the place a cozy, almost romantic, feel. She could hear music drifting through the air from what she assumed must be the dance floor, though she couldn't see it.

Krystal followed alongside Fox as they approached the _maitre d'_. Fara looked at them and said, "We'll eat first, then we can dance. Sound good?"

"Is that an order?" Fox asked. Krystal could hear the amusement in his voice.

"No. It's just the order I'd prefer," Fara replied, looking at him mock sweetly. She batted her eyelashes at him.

"Oh good God." Bonny shook his head. "Ignore her. She's doing her 'daddy please' routine."

"I thought you liked that," Fara said, turning to the _maitre d'_ and arranging a table for them.

"It doesn't work on me," Bonny answered.

Fara brushed her tail against his leg and replied, "Doesn't mean you don't like it."

The _maitre d'_ led them to a table, set out their menus, and then let them know who their server would be. Krystal sat down next to Fox, who sat down across from Fara and Bonny. Looking at the fennec and her husband, she said, "How long have you two been married?"

"Two years," Fara replied, looking up from her menu and putting her hand on Bonny's. "Though we dated for quite awhile before that."

"It was an eternity. My parents almost had a stroke with how long you made them wait," Bonny added with a chuckle.

Fara cackled. "Mm. Yeah, why do you think I made you wait so long?"

"I was under the impression you were stress testing me." Bonny took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Making sure I could truly weather the Fara Phoenix storm."

Fara pulled her hand back and scratched him behind the ears. "That too."

Krystal smiled and glanced at Fox. He caught her and smiled. "They're an odd couple, but somehow they make it work."

"I think it's romantic," Krystal said. "These steaks look good."

"Agreed." Bonny nodded. "Steaks all around?"

"Sounds good to me," agreed Fox.

"Drinks then." Fara looked at the wine list. Krystal did the same. She wasn't sure what any of the names meant, though the prices were...exorbitant.

"I'm thinking the Reysfields white," Fara said, looking up from the list. "What do you think?" She looked around the table.

"It's a bit expensive," Krystal noted.

"It's the most expensive," Fox added, shaking his head. "Two hundred credits a bottle?"

"So?" Fara arched an eyebrow. "Not like you're paying for it."

"Not if we're buying stuff like this I'm not," Fox responded.

"Are you sure Fara?" Krystal pressed. The fennec vixen had already spent an ungodly amount of money outfitting her for this date. "I mean, are you sure you can afford all of this?"

There was dead silence around the table. Krystal blushed, realizing she'd made a faux pas somehow. "S-sorry."

Fara chuckled. "I can afford it Krys. Believe me. We'll get the Reysfields. Two bottles."

Before Krystal could say anything more, a waitress appeared, as if by magic, the blue vixen not having noticed Fara's subtle snap of her fingers. The waitress took the orders, smiled, gathered up the menus, and promised that everything would be out soon.

Once the waitress was out of earshot, Krystal said, "Fara, I'm sorry if I'm insulting your generosity but, I'm, well, not used to charity. The year I spent after my planet was...destroyed it, it wasn't easy. And I didn't meet anyone willing to help me or give me anything out of kindness."

The table was silent again, and Krystal desperately hoped she hadn't made things awkward. She reached out with her senses, trying to take the emotional temperature of the table. She came away with a lot of information, none of which she was certain was coming from Fox or Fara or Bonny, and not from the hundred other patrons in the restaurant. Telepathy could get a bit muddled in a crowded room like this.

Then, to her surprise, she felt a hand take hers on the table, and she glanced over to see Fox looking at her. He smiled and said, "You're here now. Corneria is a wonderful place. And you have friends. Don't worry, we all want nothing more than for you to be happy."

He didn't say it, but in that moment of confident assurance, Krystal heard the last two words he'd left unsaid. _Especially me._

"Besides," Fara said, a smirk on her muzzle, "I've got so much money I couldn't spend it all if I tried."

"And believe me, she tries," Bonny said.

Fara growled and poked him in the ribs, then the fennec jumped in her seat and let out a little yip as Bonny did something to her under the table. Krystal laughed. They were right, she did have friends now.

The food and wine arrived a few minutes later, and conversation stopped as the four foxes tucked into their meal with abandon. Krystal hummed with pleasure at the taste. Even after a little more than a month on Corneria, the taste of good food was a wonder to her. A year in space, living off of frozen rations and whatever meager cooked meals she could afford, had taught her never to take a tasty meal for granted.

Music continued to drift into the restaurant, and Krystal found herself tapping her foot underneath the table. She liked the sound of it. Fast and with a lot brass instruments. She couldn't wait to get out on the dance floor with Fox. She'd always enjoyed dancing on Cerinia, something she and her mother had bonded over from her early childhood.

When they'd finished eating Krystal pushed her plate away and said, "That was really good."

Fox patted his stomach and made a noise of agreement. Fara sipped her wine and said, "Well, I'm going to let this digest for a minute, then, if we're all ready, we should go out and get some dancing done."

"No arguments here," Fox said.

 **Bzz...bzz...bzz..**

"What's that?" Krystal asked.

"It better not be what I think it is," Fara muttered, reaching into her purse and pulling out her phone.

As the fennec read the message Krystal sensed a flurry of emotions from her, ranging from frustration to curiosity, and, finally, resignation. "I have to go." Fara stood up, gathering her purse and putting down her card. She waved the waitress over and said, "I need this back pronto."

"Of course." The waitress shuffled off, card in hand.

"What is it?" Fox asked. Krystal picked up on his growing concern.

"Nothing probably. Just Miyu," Fara replied, and Krystal knew that was a lie. "Either way I can't tell you. Bonny, come on."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Bonny set down his wine glass and stood up with her.

The waitress returned with the card and Fara said, "I'm really sorry, will you two be alright to get home on your own?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about, we'll take a cab," Fox assured her. "You sure it's nothing? I've never known Miyu to text for nothing."

Fara shrugged. "Could be a first time for anything. I'll see you two later though."

"Pleasure to meet you, Krystal," Bonny said, before Fara took his hand and started pulling him out of the restaurant.

When the two disappeared Krystal looked to Fox. "Something's going on."

"Yeah." Fox sighed. "They'll tell us when they need us. In the meantime, let's not worry about it."

"I didn't plan on it," Krystal said, leaning towards him a bit. "Would you like to dance?"

Fox's ears flushed, but he smiled and held out his hand as he got out of his chair. "I'd be honored."

Wagging her tail Krystal took his hand and followed him out onto the dance floor. Up on the stage she could see a big, mixed gender band, the men in white tuxedos, and the women in flowing evening gowns. As she and Fox entered the room the band's fast dancing number ended, and, after a few moments of applause, the second number began with a slow, romantic, trombone solo. Krystal saw Fox's blush spread from his ears to his cheeks as he realized it was a slow dance. "We don't have to if you'd rather..." Krystal began.

Fox shook his head and placed his hands lightly on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and, feeling bold, beeped his nose with hers. He smiled and said, "You really do look lovely, you know that?"

"Thank you." They began to move and sway to the music. The band's singer, a vixen with long, platinum blond hair, started singing about an old lover named Geraldine. Krystal didn't pay much attention to it. Instead she lost herself in Fox's eyes, a pair of endless emeralds. They were so close, closer than they'd ever been before. She could see in his eyes a love that was pure and deep, one that she'd seen when he saved her at the top of Krazoa Palace, when they first locked gazes. She'd thought it an illusion. A trick of the lightning from the storm, or just a reflection of the powerful emotions she was feeling at that moment. But now, seeing it in his eyes like this, up close, with barely an inch separating the two of them, she couldn't lie to herself anymore and pretend she didn't know what he felt for her, and what she felt for him.

She didn't want to say it. Words were too clumsy. She wished she could use her powers to show him, to let him feel what she felt, but no, not yet. She would tell him. Soon. Right now though, she didn't want to ruin the night with admissions that could prove unpleasant. Instead, as the song continued, the vixen on stage singing in a soft voice full of longing and desire, and the trombone accompanying her mimicking those emotions, Krystal decided to take a leap. Closing the last few centimeters of distance between them, Krystal closed her eyes and pressed her lips softly against Fox's. She sensed his surprise, felt him try to pull back for an instant, but she held him close, not letting him escape. He stopped resisting. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her lower back, and pressed in against her. She felt his body, warm against her with heated excitement. Their kiss lingered and deepened, and all Krystal could think was, _I love you, Fox McCloud._

* * *

A/N: Not much to say other than that these two foxes are adorable. Which two foxes? All four foxes. So many foxes. Fluffy lovey-dovey foxes. See you next time!


	5. Vacation's End

Chapter 5

Vacation's End

When Fox woke up the next morning he felt something warm and soft against his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open and he looked down to see Krystal's head resting there, her eyes closed, her arms wrapped around his middle. She was still wearing her evening gown from last night, though her shoes were on the floor. Glancing down at her feet he admired her toes. He didn't normally fixate on things like that but, dang it if she didn't have cute little toes and claws. _Then again, I think everything about her is cute._

Krystal stirred against him, and Fox blushed when he felt her tongue dart out and lick at his neck, then his chin. Her eyes opened and she said, "Hey."

"Hey," Fox said. "Sleep well?"

"Snug as a bug." Krystal reached up and rested a hand on his cheek ruff. She pulled him into a brief kiss, and Fox melted into her embrace. Her lips were soft against his, and not for the first time since that first kiss on the dance floor, Fox found himself wanting more. He held back though. It wasn't time for that yet. He wanted to take things slow. This was too important to risk messing up because either one of them got impatient. When they broke the kiss she said, "Fox?"

"Yeah?" Fox saw something in her eyes. She seemed to be psyching herself up to tell him something. He felt butterflies in his stomach, wondering what it could be.

"I wanted to..."

She hesitated, and before she could regain her courage someone stomped down the stairs. Fox looked up and recoiled at the sight of Falco trooping into the living room and then heading for the kitchen. He yawned and put an arm over his beak, and the scent of his body spray spread throughout the room. "Ack." Fox covered his nose and backed away on the couch. Krystal did the same, burying her nose in his neck and trying to keep from gagging.

Falco grabbed a box of cereal out of the pantry and stuck his hand in it, grabbing a fistful of the fruities and chucking them into his beak, half of them missing and sprinkling on the floor. Fox screwed up his face and looked away at the sight of Falco, wearing nothing but his boxers, and reeking of recently applied body spray, plopping himself down on the chair next to the couch and flipping on the TV. The falcon found his favorite channel, which featured reruns and updated versions of an old game show about people running through ridiculous obstacle courses, all the while being viciously mocked by the show's hosts.

Fox cleared his throat. "Falco?"

Falco turned and looked at Fox. "Yeah?"

"Put some pants on."

"Huh?" Falco looked down at his midsection and frowned. "Oh. Sorry." He scratched an itch on his thigh that was way too close to something else for comfort.

"Falco! Now!" Fox barked.

Falco rolled his eyes and got up, heading back upstairs. "Fine fine. Don't wanna offend your delicate sensibilities. Don't even think about changing that channel."

Fox shook his head. "That's a smell that won't go away for awhile."

Krystal emerged from his neck and said, "Has he always worn that stuff?"

"Unfortunately." Fox waved a hand in front of his nose and stood up, setting Krystal gently on the couch. She curled up there and watched the TV as Fox opened the windows and turned on the ceiling fan. "Katt broke up with him twice over it."

"And he still hasn't learned?" Krystal arched an eyebrow.

"Nah. He's oblivious." Fox chuckled. "Something tells me that's what Katt likes about him."

"Really?"

"Gotta be something like that. I don't know why she'd put up with him otherwise," Fox replied, heading over to the kitchen and looking through the pantry. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Love can make you do strange things. Maybe some eggs?" Krystal suggested.

"Sure." Fox opened the fridge and pulled out two pairs of eggs. Falco could make his own breakfast this morning. "Scrambled?"

"That's the one I like, right?"

Fox smiled as he cracked the eggs over the skillet. "Yeah."

His ears cupped towards the stairs, and he turned to see Falco re enter the room, wearing gym shorts and a tank top. "Better."

Falco flipped him off and flopped back down in his chair, eating cereal straight from the box again. "What do you think of the show, Krys?"

Fox scrambled the eggs, keeping one ear on the conversation between Falco and Krystal. In his mind though he couldn't stop wondering what it was Krystal had wanted to tell him before the avian had interrupted them. He frowned, doing his best to put it out of his mind. Whatever it was it could wait. For now, he wanted to enjoy the morning with her, and hope whatever it was she'd been hiding didn't end up turning his world upside down.

()()()()

"You really can't tell me?"

Fara sighed, sitting back in her chair and looking across her desk at Bonny. He looked miffed, but she knew it wasn't because she couldn't tell him what she, Miyu, and her classified science team had been working on. "I know you're back from leave tomorrow. I'm sorry. Sometimes...sometimes even I can't control my schedule."

Bonny stood up and walked behind her chair. He rested his hands on her shoulders and started to rub. Fara cooed at the feeling. "I know. It's alright. You don't have to tell a Navy man about that sort of thing."

"Mmm. I'm still sorry sailor." Fara looked up at him, a sad smile on her face as she used her pet name for him.

"You know," Bonny said, leaning down and biting one of her ears. "We're supposed to be called 'spacers' now."

"Huh. Doesn't have the same ring to it." Fara reached up with her arms and pulled him around in front of her. He parked his butt on her desk and looked at her, his eyes roving down her body for a minute, that hungry look in his gaze that sent a shock through her system like an ampere of electric current traveling through a charged blaster rifle. Fara knew she needed to resist that urge, that crackling sexual energy that Bonny exuded when he wanted her. When he'd first laid it on her, that night at an inauguration ball for the president, she'd been barely nineteen. Of course, he'd only been twenty, but it felt like he had had the confidence of a much older man. She'd caved in seconds, though she'd maintained enough control to be the one to drag _him_ off, rather than the other way around.

Bonny pulled his eyes away then, and he stood up. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked, trying to mask the way her breathing had quickened.

Bonny sighed, and she spied him adjusting his trousers discreetly. "I shouldn't be pulling anything on you right now. You have work to do. And, God knows, if it's work you can't tell me about it's bloody well more important than any of my own carnal needs."

"Yeah." Fara groaned and kicked at her desk, her foot impacting with a thud against the wrought iron frame holding up the fogged glass. "Dammit."

"What is it?" He looked at her.

"Nothing..." Fara's lip curled in a half smile. "It would have been kinda hot though."

"What?" Bonny had on his mock idiot look. He wanted her to say it. Another of the games they played.

Fara was about to give him a lewd and detailed answer when the comm panel on her desk chimed. Tapping the respond button she said, "Phoenix. Go ahead."

"Fara, this is Miyu. I need you in the lab."

"On my way." Fara stood up and headed for her office door. She paused on the way and looked back at Bonny. She crooked a finger at him in a come hither gesture. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She gasped as his hands cupped her rear. She pressed her lips against his, her own hands on his cheek ruffs. The kiss was full of love, passion, and deferred desire. When it broke, she whispered, "I'll find an hour. I promise."

"Half an hour will do. But an hour if you can manage it," he whispered back. "Now go do whatever it is you're doing. And if it's something that's going to blow up the world, do give me a heads up so I can be on my way to Katina when it happens."

She chuckled. "I'll try." She lingered for a moment, then Bonny delivered a quick slap to her rear. "Alright I'm going."

He gave her one of those big, doofy, grins that would have sent his aristocratic ancestors into anaphylactic shock if they saw it on his face. She shook her head and left her office. _I swear Miyu, this had better be important._

()()()()

Fara crossed her arms and looked at the probe that had landed in her lab in the middle of the night, three nights ago. Miyu, her top researcher, stood next to her, chewing on a wad of bubblegum that grew by the hour, and seeming far less perplexed than her boss. "Tell me again what I'm looking at." Fara pointed at the screen, which showed a microscopic view of the device.

Miyu sighed and blew a big, pink, bubble. It popped, the noise almost deafening in the enclosed silence of the lab. "Catoms."

"You mean atoms." Fara bit back a complaint about the gum. Everything was loud to a fennec, and bubblegum bubbles popping was both loud _and_ annoying.

"No. I mean catoms." Miyu shook her head and tapped a few buttons, zooming in even further. A machine the size of an atom appeared on the screen, intricate and pulsing with energy. "This is artificial matter."

"That's not possible." Fara shook her head. "You can't create matter. You can transform it, but you can't create it."

"Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I mean, no, you can't create it. But you can change it at the quantum level. It'd be more accurate to say this is semi-artificial matter, built for the purpose of...actually, I don't know why it was built." Miyu tapped a few more buttons and brought up a datafile. "Have you heard of Claytronics?"

"Yeah." Fara nodded, dredging up the information from engineering lessons her mother had given her. "Programmable matter. It's sci fi, at least for now. The few models we've come up with have been theoretical. We don't have the computing power to do it. You're not saying this is..."

Miyu nodded. "Yeah. It is. It's a marvel fusion of computer science and nanoengineering. I've never seen anything like it."

Fara noticed that the lynx actually looked impressed. That scared her more than anything. Miyu was only impressed with things she couldn't understand. And the list of things Miyu Lynx couldn't understand was slim. Swallowing back her anxiety, Fara said, "Who could do this?"

Miyu chewed on her wad of bubblegum, displaying an impressive strength in her jaw. Then again, Miyu had impressive strength everywhere. Her mind was sharp as a nanofiber blade, and her body was hard as diamond. It took two deafening bubbles before Miyu spoke again. A long time for the lynx to have to spend thinking about anything. "I can think of two people."

"Who?"

"One of them is dead." Miyu set her hands back on the control panel and called up another datafile from Phoenix Corp's confidential database. A face popped up, a tiger, with the white collar of a lab coat visible. The name that appeared next to him sent chills down Fara's spine. Miyu caught her shuddering. "Yeah. For the record, the dead guy is Andross."

"Shit." Fara clenched her fists as she stared at the name and the face. She knew who this guy was. "Call Beltino. We need to let the Federation know about this. Then I'm going to need some help."

"Help?" Miyu was already heading for the comm panel in the lab. She tapped a series of controls to establish a link to their secure comm network.

"Yeah. Star Fox."

()()()()

"Go Fox! Go!" Krystal cheered, eyes glued to the television screen as Fox and Falco faced off in Ultra Smash Sisters Clash. Both of their champions were at sudden death, and Krystal couldn't pretend to be unbiased. After a day spent relaxing at home, and being forced to sit through a CXM or whatever that game show Falco loved was called, marathon, not to mention the fact that he'd gone through what smelled like almost an entire can of bodyspray, rather than shower after working out, Krystal wanted to watch Falco get his ass beat.

Sitting next to her Slippy looked up from his Gamedude Enhanced and said, "Yeah, come on Fox!"

Chuckling, Falco said, "Oh, all of ya are gonna gang up on me, huh? Well I got news for you, I could beat Fox in my...WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"

A happy little jingle filled the room, followed by Fox's champion's victory music, as Falco's character went flying off the screen. Fox sat back, prideful in his victory. "Never leave a sledgehammer where I can get at it."

Falco stared at the screen, his beak slack and eyes full of shock. Krystal cheered and hopped into Fox's lap, giving him a big hug. Slippy laughed and pointed at Falco, and even Peppy, who was sitting at the nearby kitchen island indulging in his cartography hobby, saluted Fox in congratulations. "I knew you could do it. I never doubted you for a second," Krystal gushed for her hero.

"I never doubted me either," Fox replied, smiling at her and beeping their noses together.

Krystal giggled and walked over to Falco. "Hand it over," she said, holding one hand out for the controller.

Falco muttered something rude under his breath and handed her the purple Gamesquare controller. Krystal plopped back down next to Fox and said, "I play the winner."

"Fine. Assuming you don't mind getting slaughtered."

Fox had on one of those cocky grins. As Krystal selected her character she decided she was going to wipe that grin right off his face. The match and map loaded in and the two of them charged at each other. Then, as soon as they were about to land their first blows, Fox's phone started buzzing. Krystal was about to tell him to ignore it when she noticed it wasn't his phone, it was his communicator. Very few people had access to that frequency. Outside of this room she knew there were only two people who did, General Pepper, and the woman whose face appeared in holographic form above the projector plate: Fara Phoenix.

A hush fell over the room as Fara told Fox she needed to see him down at her lab on the double for a job. Fox nodded and said, "I'm gonna bring Krystal, if that's alright? Consider it part of her training."

"That's fine. She's a member of your team, so I'll fix it to give her clearance. I'll see you soon. Fara out."

The hologram shrunk and disappeared, and Fox set aside his controller before looking at the rest of the team. "Slippy, I want you to get down to the spaceport and check on the _Great Fox_ 's status. Peppy, Falco, you go with him. Peppy, when you get there I want you in the control center, ready to receive any info we get from Fara and Phoenix Corp. Falco, do a check on the Arwings, I want them ready to fly at a moment's notice. Slippy, how far along is the refit?"

"It should be more or less done. The Arwings and Landmasters won't have had their turn yet, and we haven't done a shakedown." Slippy frowned. "But the _Great Fox_ will be good for travel."

Fox nodded. "Alright. Consider this our shakedown. Once we have more info on this job we'll come up with a plan. But everyone, be ready to go as soon as I give the order. Vacation is over. It's time to go to work."

* * *

A/N: Look! A plot! A villain? Maybe. We'll have to wait and see.

Something of note, the "Claytronics" and "Catoms" mentioned in this chapter, are in fact a real thing! It's basically the academic term for "programmable matter" which is an awesome concept by which the basic building blocks of things are actually tiny, nanoscale computers that can work together to form different objects. It's still far in the future, but it's a concept that I find to be really cool. In terms of sci-fi it's appeared in, Bungie's Destiny uses it in the form of the "glimmer" currency.

Scinec-y tidbit out of the way, things will start picking up here in the next few chapters as Star Fox is sent out on its next big mission. Brace yourselves.

And speaking of bracing yourselves, my good buddy Groundis just updated his EPIC Fox and Krystal story Brace for Impact! He's back in swing with things now, and the latest chapter is a doozy. So if you're still feeling like you want some more Fox and Krystal, perhaps something to help tide you over between updates here, I highly recommend going and checking it out!

I'll see you guys soon, and don't forget to leave a review/fav/follow if you're enjoying the story :)

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	6. Three Magic Words

Chapter 6

Three Magic Words

Krystal stood in Fara Phoenix's private office, watching as the vixen manipulated a group of holographic projections that displayed information on one of Lylat's most notorious war criminals, Doctor Ivan Yarus. "I'm not sure I understand," Krystal said. "I'm not fully caught up on what happened during the Lylat War, other than the basics, and Fox's role."

Fara nodded. "I'll give you some context then." She tapped a button and a new hologram popped up, showing Ivan shaking hands with a smallish fennec wearing glasses and a sweater vest. "When my father first started Space Dynamics, Ivan was one of his first prominent hires. He headed up our computer systems division. He built the intranet networks that half the Cornerian fleet would eventually run on, among other, more classified endeavors." The hologram changed to a looped news report with muted audio. It showed stock footage of Ivan, and the banner below read, 'Leading Space Dynamics Scientist Defects.'

"I remember that," Fox said. "It was the biggest headline for more than month." He shook his head. "It scared the Cornerian military almost as much as Andross."

"I'd actually say it scared them a little more," Fara argued. Turning back to Krystal, she went on, "Ivan's defection meant that Andross had access to all sorts of classified information on Cornerian and allied computer systems. He used that in his first wave of attacks, hacking into and deactivating the defense networks of Zoness, Aquas, Fichina, and Macbeth, before occupying those worlds with barely a shot fired."

"If he could do that, how did you stop him?" Krystal asked, confused. It seemed like the knowledge he possessed should have made him unstoppable.

"Luck, more than anything." Fara leaned against her desk. "Andross decided to dig in on those worlds, rather than continue on towards Corneria. It gave us the time we needed to lock Ivan out of the backdoors he'd installed throughout the systems on Katina, Corneria, and Fortuna."

"When that happened, the war entered a stalemate," Fox said. "It went on for a couple of years. During that time Ivan seemed to drop off the map. Fara might know more about what he was up to. I just know that we stopped hearing about him in Venomian propaganda."

"I don't know all the details," Fara said, crossing her arms and looking down at her feet for a moment. "There were rumors though that Andross was working on some sort of secret weapon. Something that would allow him to roll over the defenses of any planet."

"Huh. I don't remember blowing anything quite that intimidating up." Fox arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Fara chuckled. "Clams at the bottom of oceans and monsters hiding in a red dwarf don't exactly count, do they?"

"Don't forget the robot thing in Sector X."

Krystal glanced between the two of them, then said, "I think we're getting a little off topic."

"Not necessarily." Fara stood up and motioned towards the images of Ivan. "After we blew up all those super weapons..."

"After I blew up all those super weapons," Fox corrected.

"Whatever." Fara rolled her eyes. "After hero-boy blew up all the super weapons, and after we saw what some of them were, a lot of people stopped taking the rumors seriously. They thought if that was the best that Andross could come up with, we didn't need to worry about those old rumors."

"They got labeled as propaganda." Krystal surmised. "What's changed?"

Fara manipulated the holograms and pulled up a new one. "Ivan was one of Lylat's foremost experts on Claytronics." Both Fox and Krystal shot her questioning looks. "Programmable matter. It's a theory about combining computer science and nanoscale engineering."

"Right." Fox shook his head. Krystal was as confused as he was. "Bottom line it for me. What could this be used for?"

"Well, this kind of construction technique is highly adaptable, and beyond anything we understand." Fara sighed. "So, to be honest, I couldn't tell you what it's capable of. Nothing good for us though."

"Great." Fox grunted, looking none too pleased. "I love it when people say that. What do you need us to do?"

"I need you to track down Ivan," Fara told him, a grim expression on her face. "I've talked with Beltino, Pepper, and a few government officials. We all agree that Ivan is the key."

"Okay." Fox nodded, and Krystal felt his sense of certainty. He knew what they needed to do now. She stood a little straighter next to him. "We'll find him. Do you have any leads?"

Fara pursed her lips and picked up a dataslate. She handed it to Fox. "Not much. Federation Intelligence forwarded all the information they have to me. But he had a good escape plan after the war ended. No one has been able to find him."

"Yeah. No one is looking." Fox scrolled through the information.

Krystal saw Fox's frustration. "What do you mean, no one is looking?"

"The Cornerian government focused more on reconstruction and goodwill missions after the war ended," Fara explained, "Rather than trying to hunt down every war criminal. We got most of them on Venom when the war ended. There was a big war crimes trial, and once it was done, the government more or less closed the book on it, rather than keep the wounds open."

"They preferred healing to vengeance." Krystal frowned, not sure if in this case she agreed with that sentiment.

Fox snorted. "That's what they said." He looked at her. "The truth is, when the war was over, Corneria was in shambles. All of Lylat was. If people wanted to disappear and live out their lives in exile, Corneria didn't give a damn as long as they didn't cause trouble."

"Really?" Krystal was shocked. She'd assumed that if war criminals were still at large in Lylat, Corneria would have done everything they could to hunt them down.

"It wasn't a unanimous or a popular decision," Fara said. "But ultimately, reconstruction seemed more important than revenge." Fara's eyes met Fox's at this, and Krystal saw something pass between them.

Fox's mood lifted a bit, and he said, "This isn't a huge amount of info to go on."

"I know. It's a start though." Fara stood up and walked over to Fox. "When you find this guy, we need him alive. I need him alive. Without him I don't think we have a hope in hell of understanding whatever it is Andross has coming our way, and you can't fight what you don't understand."

"Fair enough." Fox collapsed the dataslate and stuck it in his pocket. "We'll move out immediately. Is there anything..."

Fox and Fara conversed for a few more moments, but Krystal didn't hear a word they said. Instead her mind went on high alert as she sensed something. A presence. She couldn't pin it down, but it felt familiar. Her eyes went glassy as she tried to lock onto it and feel it more clearly.

"Krystal?"

Her concentration faltered when she heard Fox say her name, and the presence slipped away, though for an instant she felt it fighting to remain, as if it were digging its claws in and trying to hold on. She winced at the brief, sharp, pain in her forehead. "I'm alright. Sorry, I uh, I lost focus there for a minute."

"It's alright," Fox assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't miss anything. Are you sure you're alright?"

Krystal smiled at him, and in the back of her mind she could hear a voice screaming at her to tell him about her powers. She ignored it. She'd tell him, but not here. It needed to be the right time, the right moment. _You've been saying that for weeks. Are you sure it isn't just an excuse to never tell him?_

"I'm fine. Just a little headache. It's nothing," she told him, keeping her smile on full force. He nodded and stepped back, though she felt his concern, and his curiosity. She knew she'd come close to telling him everything a few days ago, before Falco had interrupted them with his usual obnoxious behavior. _You've got to tell him. Today. It's eating at him. And he needs to be able to know he can trust you if we're going on a mission._

Fox seemed to take her at her word, though she sensed some lingering concern. They finished up with Fara, and then left her office, heading for Fox's car in the Phoenix Corp parking lot. Outside, Lylat's rays felt warm on Krystal's fur, although the air was cooler than it had been in Fara's office, the fennec prefered to keep the temperature close to about eighty degrees for her own comfort. Fox opened the passenger side door for her, and Krystal was about to step in when the pain in her head returned full force. "Ah!"

"Krystal?" Fox's eyes widened in fear. Krystal looked up at him, grabbed his hand as he took her by the arms. "Krystal!"

Her vision started to fade, darkness encroaching on the world around her. Krystal fought it, wondering who it was that could be affecting her telepathy from this far away. Only one of Cerinia's strongest telepaths could have done this from so far away she couldn't see them. And the presence was so strong, and so familiar. It had to be a trick. Some entity out there, trying to gain her mind as a vessel. Cerinians told stories about that sort of thing. She had to resist, no matter how painful it was.

The presence grew stronger and more insistent. Fox was saying something, but she couldn't hear him. All Krystal could hear was a humming noise inside her mind. And she...recognized it. No. It couldn't be. It was a trick. Whatever was attacking her, it was using her memories, trying to make her let down her defenses. "No," she gasped.

Then a voice, accented like her own, and speaking in her native language, whispered, _"Sister, it's me. Let me in. It's me."_

Krystal's eyes widened, and over Fox's shoulder she saw a blood red vixen, with snow white fur on her muzzle, and long, flowing, red hair, looking down at her, a smile full of love and relief on her face. "Fiora?" Krystal whimpered.

" _It's me, sister. I promise it's me. Trust me. Let me in. I can't maintain this link much longer."_

Krystal hesitated for another moment. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be. They were all dead. Her family. Her people. Then she saw the pain in Fiora's eyes, the desperation, and the fire of determination that kept her going. Her warrior's heart. "Fiora." Krystal let down her defenses, and she slackened in Fox's arms. Her eyes closed, and she sank into the blissful netherworld of her telepathy.

()()()()

Deep in her consciousness, Krystal stood in an endless white haze. She could feel the mist against her fur, and the warm, tropical air. She could hear the water lapping on the beach, and even feel sand between her toes, and wind on her face. She could not see any of it, however. A choice on her part. If she could see it, she would be distracted. Mental spaces were different for every person. Krystal preferred a blank visual slate, with plenty of physical sensations.

Off in the distance she saw a figure approaching. As it approached it resolved into a blood red vixen, with white fur around her muzzle and neck, diving down her chest. She wore a crimson jumpsuit, with white armor on her shoulders, shins, and chest. Cerinian battle garb. A sword hung at her left, and a blaster on her hip. "Fiora?" Krystal said, closing the distance between them and wrapping her elder sister in a hug.

"Kryssy," Fiora whispered, hugging back and squeezing hard enough that Krystal's breath rushed out of her. "I'm so glad I found you."

Krystal pulled away and said, "You look different."

"Some recent acquisitions." Fiora looked at the blaster on her hip. "Even a sword that can cut through durasteel is still a sword. And unfortunately, not everyone plays by the honor rules that our clans did."

"So I've learned." Krystal pursed her lips. "I can sense the strain you're under. How far away are you?"

"A world called Katina," Fiora told her. Krystal felt a rush of information pass through their link. A location. "I had to stop here when my ship's drive malfunctioned. I've been chasing you across known space. And unknown space."

"And you missed me by hours every time," Krystal said, sensing the next part of Fiora's tale. It felt good to be able to communicate this way. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't know anyone but me had survived. And I stayed away from Cerinia."

"I know." Fiora sighed. "I did too. It's not a welcoming place anymore. Full of ghosts."

"Fiora, what happened? You were there. What happened?" Krystal reached out and clutched her sister's shoulders. She could sense that Fiora had answers, that she could fill in some of the blanks that Krystal had never been able to find explanations for.

"I can't tell you. My power is fading. I'm not as strong as you, or mother, sister. It's taking everything I have to do this." Fiora grimaced, and her image began to flicker and waver. "Come find me. And hurry. I was not the only thing to land on this world that you should be concerned about."

Krystal could sense her sister's link fading, attenuating. Before she retreated completely, Krystal cried out, "I love you!"

Fiora smiled, even as her image faded into nothingness. She left behind a single emotion. The love of an older sibling to another. And...more. Krystal reveled in it for a moment. She felt her mother's love, her father's. She could feel them. Her people. So many still alive. Somewhere. Hidden, but wanting to be found. _I'll find them. All of them._

()()()()

Fox held Krystal against his chest, not knowing what to do. He'd called Fara, and she'd come sprinting out with Phoenix Corp's on call doctor at the facility. The canine shook his head. "She seems fine."

"Doc, she's unconscious," Fox said, worried and trying not to show it too much. Behind him he heard the click of Fara's heels as she paced.

"Yes. But..." He passed his scanner over her again, the device making a trilling noise as it analysed her bio signs. "She's asleep. Her brain indicates heightened neurotransmitters. And her eyes are moving rapidly beneath the lids. I'd say she's dreaming. "

"Asleep? Doc, she collapsed in my arms. She was in pain. She's not _asleep_ ," Fox bit out, getting frustrated. "Are you sure she's not injured? She didn't get hit by something?"

"I'm sure."

Fox was about to tell the doctor to check again, and be a lot more thorough than he must have been the first time, when Krystal's eyes fluttered open. She gazed up at him, and for a moment her eyes seemed to glow. The doctor saw it too. His eyes narrowed in curiosity. Krystal saw him and recoiled, hugging Fox in a moment of profound vulnerability. "Step back doc." The doctor nodded, knowing when to give a patient a little space. "Krystal?"

"Fox?" Krystal flung her arms around him and hugged him, her tail wagging, stirring up dust on the asphalt as it created a gale behind her. "Fox! They're alive. She's alive. My sister! Alive!"

Fox didn't know what to say, or what to make of what he was hearing. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and helped her to stand up. He looked at the doctor over her shoulder and said, "I think she's fine."

The doctor nodded, performing one more scan before replying, "Other than those heightened neurotransmitters, yes. I'd like to take her for an examination..."

Fox felt Krystal press closer to him, and he could tell the thought of a medical examination scared her. His protectiveness kicked in, and he shook his head. "No doc. At least, not right now."

"As you wish." The canine pursed his lips. "But I highly recommend she be checked out in the future. As a precaution."

"Duly noted, doc. Now, I think she needs some space." Fox jerked his head back towards the building. The doctor got the message and headed back. Fox glanced over his shoulder and saw Fara standing there. She looked worried and relieved all at the same time. She patted Fox on the shoulder, then followed the doctor back into the building. Turning his attention back to Krystal, he pushed her gently away, until they were standing where they could see each other's eyes. "Krystal, what's going on?"

He watched as she hesitated, looking pensive and nervous. "Fox...I haven't been completely honest with you."

Fox's heart sank at that. He'd worried it was something like this. It had been eating at him the last few days, though he'd done everything he could to ignore it, and hide it when he couldn't. "Krys, whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Alright. But, before I do just...I'm sorry. And I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me."

Fox's jaw dropped at those words, and he reached out for her. She turned away, looking down at the ground as she began to talk. He listened. His jaw dropped even further, fear and confusion found a place in his gut before he banished them when he saw her shrink and move further away. When she stopped he clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. He didn't have to see her to know there were tears in her eyes. "What did I do wrong?" he whispered.

At those words she turned to face him, and he could see there were tears pooling in her eyes. "What?"

Fox stepped closer to her and took her hands in his. "What did I do to make you afraid?"

"What did you?" Krystal shook her head. He could tell she didn't know what to say. "Fox, what do you mean?"

"I mean..." Fox shook his head. "I mean I must have done something that would make you afraid to tell me. What did I do?"

"Nothing." Her expression remained confused. She clearly hadn't been expecting this reaction.

"Then what should I have done?" Fox asked, earnest. He wanted to make amends. He never wanted her to be afraid. Especially of him.

"Nothing. Fox..." A note of frustration crept into her voice, which only alarmed him more. Then, as quickly as it was there, it was gone. She smiled and said, "Fox, there's nothing you did. Nothing you could have done." The smile turned sad. "My people have kept our powers hidden for millennia. Once, long ago when we first traveled to the stars, we made no secret of our powers. We did not comprehend that others would lack them, or fear them. And, worse yet, covet them. Our people were hunted and shunned until we retreated almost completely inward. It was only a few years before I was born that we cautiously reached out for the stars again. Then..."

Fox closed his eyes, knowing what she'd left unsaid. Then, almost as soon as they'd reached out again, Andross had come, and destroyed them all. It clicked in his mind then, what he had to do, what he had to say. He pulled her to him, holding her softly as he said, "Krystal. There's nothing going on in that noggin of yours that could make me leave you. That could ever stop me loving you."

He felt her weaken at that. Those words he'd waited to say. They'd simmered in him since they first met, and after their first kiss, they had burned to be spoken. He'd resisted the urge though, not sure if she truly felt the same. Now though seemed as good a time as any for admissions. He felt hot, wet, tears against his neck as she whimpered, "I love you, too."

* * *

A/N: Hey everybody, sorry this update is a day late. I was all set to upload yesterday, but personal things came up and it totally slipped my mind. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed, and don't forget to leave those favs/follows/reviews! Until next time...

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	7. Fiora

Chapter 7

Fiora

Sweat dripped down Krystal's brow as she jogged on the treadmill, doing her daily endurance training. Even now that the _Great Fox_ had broken Corneria orbit and was on its way to Katina, her training regimen hadn't slowed. Endurance, combat, target, and flight practice all maintained their grueling schedule. She went to bed feeling sore, and woke up feeling better than she had in years. Part of that, though, might have been to do with the fact that she was training alongside Fox.

Across from her, Fox lifted a pair of weights, his tank top dark with his own perspiration. She hadn't had the courage to say anything, but she thought it made him look rather sexy. With that in mind she stared at him as she jogged, enjoying the display of raw strength he put on, and the view of his lean, toned, musculature.

Fox caught her looking and smiled at her, a little color in his ears. She smiled back, trying to mask how flustered she felt that she'd been caught. Even after kissing and then saying those three magic words to each other, she still felt flights of bashfulness around him. She knew he felt the same. She could feel his emotions across the room, as he tried to hide the fact that he was enjoying the way she looked, huffing and puffing, her chest heaving as she took in deep breaths, sweat pooling under her arms and dripping down her nose. And...my, had he noticed that? Krystal's eyes widened and she stopped dead on the treadmill. A bad idea at any time. Krystal yipped and fell forward, catching herself before she smashed her nose into the unforgiving rubber of the device's running platform.

In a flash, Fox was at her side, helping her to her feet and looking at her with a concerned expression. Krystal smiled and said, "Sorry. Clumsy of me."

"That's okay. You alright?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

Krystal's nostrils flared at the scent of him next to her. His scent had sharpened with his exertions, nearly overwhelming the deodorant he wore. Fox noticed and stepped back, embarrassed as he scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry."

Flicking her tail in amusement, Krystal leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. "It's alright. I'm sweaty too."

"Yeah. You are," Fox said, his tone a little dreamy.

Giggling, Krystal shut down the treadmill and said, "Do I have anything else I need to do today?" Fox didn't immediately respond. She looked at him and smiled, he still had that dreamy look on his face. "Hey. Fox?" She snapped her fingers at him.

"Huh?" Fox jerked his head and blushed. "Sorry. Um. What?"

"Anything else I need to do today?" Krystal repeated, hiding her amusement.

"Um...push ups?"

"Did them."

"Crunches?"

"Done."

"Targets?"

"Not yet." Krystal frowned. "I knew I was forgetting something."

"It's okay." Fox reached out and took her hand for a moment. "Why don't you get cleaned up, then meet me on the range in...half an hour?"

"Sounds good." Krystal squeezed his hand, then headed out of the gym. She paused at the entrance and turned back to Fox. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like what?" he asked, confused.

Krystal blushed, not sure whether to be more specific. Maybe she'd misread his thoughts? She hadn't been trying too hard, just taking a quick peek at the surface focuses. Taking a breath she decided to take the plunge and motioned to her bust."The sports bra."

Fox's eyes widened so much they nearly fell out of his face. "Uhhhh..."

Krystal's blush went up about another nine degrees. Biting her lip she said, "Sorry. I thought you liked it."

"I uhhh..." Fox shook his head, and in the heat of her embarrassment Krystal misread it as him saying he hadn't actually like it.

Positively dying of embarrassment now, Krystal said, "I'll see you on the target range." Then made a hasty exit, bumping her shoulder into the door before stubbing her toe on the deck. She cursed and started fast walking down the hall, berating herself for being so forward. It was something her mother would have done. The difference being that unlike her mother Krystal had a much more well developed sense of modesty. _That's not fair. She's only ever been immodest with father. Even if her sense of timing usually leads to awkward moments. Well, awkward for everyone else. I don't think mother has ever been embarrassed in her life._

Thoughts like these raged in her head, so much so that she didn't hear the doors to the gym open and close, or the sound of footsteps jogging to catch up with her. A hand took her by the arm, and Krystal jumped back in shock, instinctively entering a fighting stance. "Fox?"

"Hi." Fox frowned. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine." Krystal relaxed, putting on a smile as she felt the brief adrenaline spike fade. "What is it?"

"Um. Nothing. Just..." Fox bit his lip, then said, "I do like it. The sports bra, I mean."

Krystal stared at him, then her smile turned into a grin when she felt how sincere he was. She reached out and hugged him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Fox wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. When they pulled back he said, "Target practice? Half an hour?"

Planting a little kiss on his nose, Krystal said, "I'll be there."

"Okay."

They stood there, still holding each other as they stared into each other's eyes. Krystal felt the world fade away as she watched his glittering emerald irises floating in a sea of white. She reached out with her telepathy, brushing his mind. His expression changed as he felt the tickle in the back of his mind that told him she wanted entrance. He let her in. Love flowed across the space separating them, along with a bit of embarrassment from earlier, and a hint of arousal at being so close to the other.

Krystal leaned forward and kissed him, pressing her warm, soft, lips against his slightly rougher ones. She would never get tired of feeling his lips against hers. It was a wondrous feeling. His hold on her tightened, and Krystal reached up with her fingers to tease at the white mohawk between his ears. Fox's tongue started to fight with hers, playfully giving ground against hers only to take it back an instant later. That little battle filled her with joy and excitement. Their tails wagged in unison, filling the corridor around them with the sound of rushing air flowing through soft, bushy, fur.

The kiss only ended when both of them were about to run out of breath. Arms still around her, Fox said, "We should probably get going."

Krystal rested her chin against his shoulder. She liked that they were the same height. It made beeping his nose with her own so much easier. Taking in a deep breath of his musky scent, she sighed happily and said, "In a minute."

"Yeah." Fox rested his own chin against her shoulder, taking in a breath like she had. "In a minute."

()()()()

At the front of the bridge a holoscreen displayed the dusty, green and brown world of Katina. Rare among habitable planets, Katina had no oceans, only a number of lakes and seas. The green patches were clustered mostly around these, before fading into the dull brown of the hinterlands. "Entering designated parking orbit," ROB announced from his position at the helm.

"Good. Do we have clearance for the Arwings?" Fox asked, standing up out of the captain's chair.

Peppy looked up from ops and said, "Katina control says we're good to go, and sends their compliments."

"Tell them we appreciate it." Fox looked at his team. Falco sat in his chair, fingers linked behind his head, listening to music in his earbuds. Slippy was paying close attention to their engines, and Krystal was perched on the arm of her own chair, legs crossed and feet tapping. "Can you sense her?" he asked.

The blue vixen shook her head, making the pair of beads she'd put in her hair that morning rattle. "No. We're too far away. I know where to start looking, though."

"Okay." Fox nodded, then kicked Falco's legs.

Falco yelped in protest and took out his earbuds. "Ay! What?"

"You need to be paying attention," Fox told him. Slippy snickered.

"Oh. Are we here?" Falco straightened up and looked at the holoscreen. "Oh. We are here."

Fox put his muzzle in his hand for a moment, then said, "Alright, here's the game plan. Krystal and I are going to head down the coordinates she got from her sister. We'll find her, and bring her back. Hopefully it won't take too long." Fox turned to Peppy. "While I'm on the surface, Peppy is in charge. Peppy, I need you to start working on finding Dr. Yarus. Fara has already forwarded all the information she has to us. I want leads as soon as possible, understood?"

"Understood." Peppy gave him a half salute.

"Slippy. Keep an eye on the ship, and do whatever shakedowns you can while we're down there," Fox instructed the toad. "But don't do anything that's going to ground us, okay?"

"Okay Fox." Slippy nodded, then turned back to his controls, intent on running another series of diagnostics.

"What do you want me to do, Fox?" Falco asked.

Fox turned to him and said, "Stay out of trouble, and be ready if I need you. Katina's a rough place. There's an even chance I'll piss somebody off down there, and we might need a little cover on the way back up."  
"You got it. Saving your ass is my specialty." Falco's face contorted in a cocky smirk.

Fox shook his head. "How long are you going to hold the Andross rematch over my head?"

"Oh, this life and into the next," Falco replied.

"Great." Fox groaned and then motioned to Krystal. "Come on, we better get going. We'll keep in contact. Let us know if anything happens up here."

"Will do," Peppy said, as Fox and Krystal walked off the bridge and into the corridor.

"What did you mean about Katina being a rough place?" Krystal asked him as they made their way to the hangar.

Stepping into the lift that would take them down to the hangar level, Fox said, "Katina has a colorful history. She's allied to Corneria, like most of the system, and there are a few outposts and bases on the surface, but the planetary government isn't all that strong. There's a lot of independant localities, fiefdoms. God knows. It's another one of those places where, so long as Corneria can keep her bases and a favorable trade agreement, we don't worry too much about what the government looks like on the ground."

"Understood," Krystal said, frowning in acceptance. No world was perfect. No system without its flaws. She'd lived on Corneria for more than a month now, and she knew it's people were good, and that its leaders did their best. _What is it father used to say? Paradise doesn't grow in a day._ "What should I expect?"

Fox shrugged. "Just keep your eyes open, and keep your hand near your laser." He glanced at the laser pistol at her side. She continued to prefer beam weapons. Hanging by her tail was her staff. "You brought your staff?"

"Mmhmm. I know it isn't standard issue, you don't mind though?"

"Nope. I know how useful that thing is." Fox smiled as the lift opened on the hangar. "Ready to go?"

"You bet."

Fox popped the canopy of his Arwing and hopped in. Before they sealed up and started their engines he said, "Follow me."

"Got it," she replied, giving him a thumbs up.

Fox keyed his engine and started his preflight. He glanced over at Krystal one more time before calling ROB to tell him they were ready for launch. He saw her, hands steady on the controls, back straight against her chair, and he couldn't help but think how good it felt to see her there. Pride and love swelled in his chest. _We're going to find your sister, Krys. And then I'm going to help you find your people. No matter what._

Krystal's eyes turned to meet his, and he knew she'd heard his thoughts. She smiled at him, a sweet, loving, hopeful smile. One that only strengthened his commitment to keeping that promise. "ROB," he said. "We're ready to go. Cut us loose."

A clanging noise echoed through the hangar, and Fox bounced against his restraints as the locks on the Arwing were released. Fox focused all his attention forward, toward the softly glowing orb of Katina, and rocketed out of the hangar.

()()()()

Krystal's Arwing settled on its landing gear, and the engine wound down with a whine. Undoing the straps of her crash harness Krystal popped the canopy and took a breath of the Katinan air. She sorted through and ignored the usual landing field smells of machine oil and hydraulic fluid, not to mention body odor from the crews, and focused on the unfamiliar smells. There was a sweet scent that seemed to overpower everything, and she raised her muzzle to catch a stream of the scent. Fascinating. She liked that smell.

"Krys?"

Krystal looked down and saw Fox waiting for her, holding out a hand to help her down from her cockpit. She took it and said, "Ever the gentleman."

"I try." Fox cocked his head when her little black button nose started moving again. "What?"

"That smell," she told him. "It's so sweet and fragrant. What is it? I didn't expect something so nice on a world like this."

Raising his own muzzle to the hot, dry, air, Fox took in a breath and then said, "Mushrooms."

"Mushrooms?" Krystal asked.

Fox nodded, then pointed to a spot beyond the chainlink fence surrounding the landing field. "Yeah. Katinan Giants. They grow around the water."

Krystal followed his finger and let out a stunned gasp at the sight of the massive fungi, swaying gently in the distance. They stood as tall as some of the smaller skyscrapers on Corneria. Long, stringy, tendrils hung from their massive caps, which provided shade for knots and tangles of lush, verdant, vegetation beneath them. "Why are they swaying?" she asked. "I don't feel a breeze."

"It's spring time here around Freeport," Fox told her, referring to the city in Katina's southern hemisphere that they'd landed in. They started walking towards the front office for the landing pad. "The swaying is them spreading their spores."

"Okay. But if there's no breeze, what carries the spores?" Krystal inquired, her curiosity piqued. They passed another group of pilots, and Krystal's hand drifted towards her laser at the sight of how well armed they were. "Who are they?" she whispered.

Fox glanced at them and shrugged. "Spacers. Probably freight haulers. Or smugglers." Fox took stock of their weaponry. One of them had a rifle slung across his back, the other two had dual, rapid fire, pistols. "Yeah. Smugglers. Don't worry, they're not gonna be too interested in drawing attention."

"Is it normal for people to walk around with entire arsenals on this world?" Krystal relaxed, though she kept her senses alert. There were a few other ships sharing the area with them, mostly beat up old freighters, though she spotted gun turrets on most of them.

Fox chuckled. "Yeah. Kinda. Don't worry about it. Anyone causes trouble, you've got the best shot in Lylat by your side."

Krystal smiled and brushed her tail against his leg. "Noted. Now, you were saying about the spores?"

They walked into the front office, and Krystal felt a blast of heavenly air conditioning, a welcome reprieve from hot, dry, air outside. The inside was mostly white, though the paint on the walls was chipping in some places. Windows lit the room naturally, though there were illumination strips and fluorescent lights on the walls and ceilings, respectively. She and Fox got in line behind the spacers they'd seen outside to finalize their permits and pay the requisite fees.

"You remember I said the mushrooms grow around water sources?" Fox asked.

"I so." Krystal thought about it for a moment, then smiled as she realized where he was going. "They sprinkle the spores into the water, and then the rivers carry them to wherever they need to go."

"Right. Or they stay in the lake or oasis water, wash ashore, and germinate right there." Fox moved up in line. "That's why you'll see really heavy concentrations around more stationary bodies of water."

"Huh. Makes sense." Krystal wagged her tail and took Fox's hand in hers. They moved up in line and Fox started talking to the girl behind the counter. When she named the price per hour for docking poor Fox nearly had a heart attack. Krystal squeezed his hand, warning him subtly not to make a scene. Fox grimaced and started haggling. Krystal got the feeling he'd done this before as he alternated between charm and forcefulness. She liked seeing him in business mode, negotiating prices and stubbornly refusing to be taken advantage of. After a few minutes he'd cut their rate in half, paid, and thanked the girl for working with him. "Nice job."

"Thanks." Fox smiled, the two of them walking out onto Freeport's streets. "First rule of landing fields outside of Corneria? All prices are negotiable. If you take the price they ask you for, you're a sucker."

"Noted." Krystal looked around at the city. Off in the distance were a few modest skyscrapers, with holographic banners displaying the names of the corporations they belonged to. Most of the city however was made of squat, small and medium sized buildings, made of stucco and other cheap and desert friendly materials.

The people here also served as a contrast to what she'd grown used to on Corneria. They were all familiar species, though she saw a fairly larger number of reptiles than she had around Corneria City, likely because of the warmer climate. The general mood of the city also felt different. Corneria City had an overarching sense of happiness and security, whereas Freeport felt far more tense and dangerous. People tended to avoid eye contact, and weaponry was openly displayed.

"Any idea where we should be going?" Fox asked.

Krystal paused on the sidewalk and closed her eyes. She reached out with her telepathy, looking for her sister. She felt a brush of a presence, fleeting but strong. She was definitely in Freeport. _"Fiora?"_

No answer. Krystal hadn't expected one. Communicating entire thought streams was difficult unless in close proximity, and nearly impossible if you couldn't see the intended recipient. Fiora did her best though, and when Krystal opened her eyes she saw, or rather her mind's eye saw, a set of glowing footprints on the ground. "This way."

They started walking, and Fox said, "I don't mean to be a pill but, how do you know where to go? Did she give you a specific location?"

"No. But she's giving me a path to follow," Krystal told him.

"Right. I trust you."

"I know."

The path led them away from the landing field they'd docked at, and further into the city. The streets grew narrower and a bit less busy in some places, before opening up into wide, crowded plazas in others. The people changed as well, going from rugged spacers and whatever counted for tourists in Freeport, to natives with families and honest jobs. Krystal got the sense that these people were proud and resilient, if less carefree and secure than their Cornerian cousins. For the most part though she blocked them out, focusing all her attention on following the path of breadcrumbs her sister had left her.

"What sort of path is it?" Fox inquired, eyeing a group of teenagers suspiciously as they walked by. When one of them leered at Krystal he growled out loud, his hand going to his blaster. The group wisely backed off.

"She's left footprints, for lack of a better word, for me to follow." Krystal took a turn down a narrow sidestreet. "Think of it like leaving a trail of telepathic breadcrumbs. She's left behind a thought indicating which direction she was moving when she had it. They don't stay very long, so I know that the ones I'm following have to have been recent."

"Couldn't she just contact you like she did a few days ago, when we were still on Corneria?"

"That sort of communication is exhausting," Krystal said. She stopped for a moment and looked at him. "How far can you shout to someone, and still expect them to hear it clearly?"

"I don't know. Maybe...twenty, thirty, feet? If I a yell at the top of my lungs, and the wind is right." Fox shrugged.

"Now imagine doing that, with your mind, over a span of millions of miles." Krystal frowned. "Fiora, myself, my parents, and maybe one or two thousand other Cerinians could accomplish that individually. Out of a population of millions on my world. And even then it's exhausting. She'd communicate with me if she could, but right now she's taxed to the limit mentally."

"I understand." Fox glanced around. "Should we keep going?"

"Yes."

The two of them started walking again, and a little while later found themselves in an entertainment district near a second spaceport. The footsteps Krystal could see led straight to a tavern with a neon sign advertising drinks, food, and rooms. "There."

"Good. I'm kinda thirsty," Fox said.

"Try not to get blasted. You have to fly soon," Krystal joked.

The two of them walked into the bar and Krystal gave it a quick glance. The lighting was dim, and a smoky haze filled the room. She smelled the scent of spacers in need of a good shower, as well as cheap booze and cigarettes. Summoning her courage she managed not to cover her nose.

 _"Krystal?"_

Krystal spun when she heard the voice reverberate through her mind, strong and stable now that they were in close proximity. She spotted a head of flowing red hair at a table in the far corner of the room. "Sister!"

She frowned when she realized her sister was surrounded by several of the unwashed spacers. They parted at the sound of Krystal's voice, and she saw one of them leaning over her sister, his hands rubbing up along her arms before coming to rest on her shoulder. The one hanging over her sister, a pot bellied bear, grinned lasciviously and said, "Well look at that. She's got a sister. Let's get 'em both boys."

()()()()

The situation became clear to Fox in an instant. Three large spacers, one vixen, and a whole lot of pheromones trying to work their way through the other smells in the bar. His hand went to his blaster, and he was about to draw when he felt Krystal put a hand on his wrist. She shook her head and mouthed, "Watch."

Pot Belly grabbed Fiora by the arms and lifted her out of her chair. At first Fiora didn't appear to be putting up any resistance. His two friends, an equally large crocodile, and a foul smelling simian, charged towards Krystal. Once again Fox's hand went to his blaster, and once again Krystal restrained him. It took every iota of Fox's willpower to go along with it and not blast the two idiots into smithereens right there.

Seeing that both Fox and Krystal weren't about to shoot them, Croc and Sim slowed down and waltzed up to them. Croc grinned, showing his set of predator's teeth, and reached out for Krystal, one hand going for her arm, the other for her chest. Fox growled and reached out to shove Krystal behind him, his protective instincts overpowering any other considerations. Sim saw this and threw a punch at him, one that came in so fast Fox knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it. Except the blow never landed. The fist came to within an inch of Fox's face, then stopped dead. Sim, who had been grinning, started to look confused. He grunted, trying to cock his fist back again, but it wouldn't move. Fox looked at him, confusion on his own face.

A blue hand wrapped around his bicep and pulled him back a few steps. "Just watch," she advised him.

Croc looked at his buddy, then tried to go for Krystal again. Except his feet wouldn't move. He looked down at them in panic, trying to move but remaining immobile. He looked behind him then and saw his boss man, Pot Belly, hanging in the air as if by magic, Fiora looking at him with a deathly calm expression.

Fox gaped and whispered, "No way."

The whole bar was watching the scene unfold. Fox's ears picked up Fiora's voice for the first time, a lot like Krystal's, though a little deeper and huskier, "Have you ever wondered what it feels like to hit the ground after a thousand foot drop?" she asked.

Pot Belly shook his head, terror in his eyes.

"No? Would you like to find out? I can make that happen. It won't be a literal thousand foot drop," Fiora explained. "But I can make it _feel_ like one."

"I'm good. I swear I'm good," Pot Belly said, panic creeping into his voice.

"Mm." Fiora hand came to rest on the hilt of the sword strapped to her waist. "On my world, what you were about to do would end in the woman emasculating you." Pot Belly literally shrieked at those words. Fiora chuckled. "Don't worry. We aren't on my world." She let him drop, and he slammed to the ground so fast Fox winced at the sound of shins snapping. "I find out you tried it again though...well, I might forget where I am."

The blood red vixen turned to look at Croc and Sim. "And you two. Really? You're that desperate? Shame." She shook her head, tossing her mane of crimson hair behind her. She pointed at them, then hooked a thumb in the direction of Pot Belly. Both of them went flying backward to land in a heap on top of him. Fiora didn't even bother glancing behind her. Instead she walked up to Fox and Krystal, a big smile on her face.

Fox watched in stunned silence as the sisters embraced, both of them with tears in their eyes, tails wagging at light speed. He tore his eyes away for a moment to take stock of the rest of the room. Everyone seemed to be in roughly the same boat as him. Shocked at what they'd witnessed, but in no hurry to help out Pot Belly or his crew. The bartender did look unhappy about the mess though.

Wanting to feel useful, Fox walked over and handed the bartender a wad of credits. "Sorry about that. She's with us."

The bartender, a smallish hyena, cackled in that way peculiar to his species and replied, "Tell the lady if she's ever looking for work as a bouncer, I'll pay her double what anyone else will."

"Sure. I'll pass it along."

Returning to the two vixen's he said, "I handled the bar tender."

"Thanks." Krystal smiled and motioned towards Fiora. "Fox, I'd like you to meet my sister, Fiora. Fiora, this is Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox team."

Fiora stuck her hand out and said, "Pleased to meet you. You and Krystal are friends?"

"You could say that," Fox replied, shaking her hand. She had a bone crushing grip.

"What do you mean?" Fiora cocked an eyebrow.

"I'll explain later, sister," Krystal jumped in, saving Fox from any potential embarrassment.

Fiora glanced between the two of them, and Fox saw the same sharp edged intelligence behind her eyes that he'd seen behind Krystal's. Not just good in a fight then. "Right. I'm afraid we won't be able to blast off this rock just yet."

"Why is that?" Fox asked.

"My drive is malfunctioning, and I don't have the money to hire someone to repair it." Fiora grimaced. "Technology and mechanics was never my strong suit."

Fox smiled and flicked his tail. "Not to worry. I have someone on my team that could make a subspace radio out of a screwdriver and an empty roll of tape. We'll have you flying in no time."

"Excellent. Shall we go?" Fiora motioned towards the door, where a pair of spacers were walking in, then walking out when they saw Pot Belly and his dog pile.

"After you." Fox followed the two girls out, smiling as they struck up a conversation that, judging by the clipped and sometimes incomplete sentences was going on at least half telepathically.

* * *

A/N: Fiora! Fiora has been in my fics since day one, as Krystal's sister, and I was super excited to bring her back in this story. She's a character near and dear to my heart...

Krystal: And mine!

I should hope so!

I'd also like to thank all those who have reviewed and faved and followed, it is much appreciated and I've enjoyed reading what you guys are thinking about the story thus far :D I hope you enjoyed, and the next chapter should be up in a couple weeks!

-furfurfurfrufurfurfurjfurfrfrufrufr


	8. Connections

Chapter 8

Connections

Fox and Krystal had moved their Arwings to the landing field Fiora was using. It was small and out of the way, on the outskirts of town. Theirs were practically the only ships there. Fox sat on a crate near Fiora's ship, watching as Slippy worked with his tools on the main drive unit. He'd come down, taken a quick look at it, and declared that it was busted. He'd learned not to give overly technical explanations without specific prompting. At one point early in the team's history, he'd filled the comm channel with a lot of unnecessary technobabble. It had gotten Falco so pissed off and distracted at one point during a sim run that the avian had run into a tree and lost a wing. Fox smiled at the memory.

Fiora's ship was an interesting one. Definitely not any design he recognized. She'd told him it was a Cerinian battlefigher, a top class one as well. It had a pair of straight wings shaped like isosceles triangles, painted a bright red, with underslung laser cannons, and what looked to be a torpedo launcher on the underside of the fuselage. The wings swept forward, passed the cockpit, to form a sort of W shape. It reminded Fox a bit of a CloudRunner the more he looked at it. Something Krystal and Fiora had confirmed,leading to an extended conversation about the fact that there had been dinosaurs on Cerinia.

Slippy had told him the engines were a bit slow compared to the Arwing, but that once they got her aboard the _Great Fox_ , it would be relatively simple to soup them up to spec. Fiora had had no objection to letting him do so.

Across from him Fiora and Krystal were chatting amiably, the two of them having been inseparable since they were reunited. Fiora noticed him looking at the two of them and walked over. She stopped at a respectful distance and said, "Fox, there's something we should discuss."

"Sure." Fox stood up. "What's going on?"

"Krystal tells me she joined your team," Fiora said, motioning towards her sister. "And that you saved her life."

"I did. And she did. Yeah." Fox smiled briefly. "It was all in a day's work."

Fiora arched an eyebrow. "You have an interesting job."

"I like to think so." Fox shrugged. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. He'd had this conversation with other pilots and soldiers and mercenaries a thousand times. Most of them were a lot less elegant about it though. "What's on your mind?"

"I'd like to join your team as well," Fiora said, standing straighter. "I'm a good shot, a great pilot, and an excellent swordswoman. I also have extensive training in unarmed combat, my telepathy is strong and disciplined, and I have..."

"Telekinesis," Fox finished. He held out his hand. "Trust me, that alone is enough of a selling point."

Fiora smiled, her tail wagging behind her. "Thank you." She clasped his hand in hers, and treated him to that bone crushing grip once again.

"I'm going to put you through the same training I put everyone through," Fox warned. "Basic stuff that, if you're anything like your sister, you'll have no trouble getting the hang of. Once I've assessed your abilities, and decided they're up to my standards, I'll make your membership official. After that, you'll be responsible for keeping your skills up to spec in whatever way best suits you."

"I take it I'll have a lot of independence then?" Fiora asked, the idea seemed to intrigue her.

"Yup." Fox nodded. "I don't run my team like a tiny army. We're a family. I expect you to pull your weight, but I also want you to find the place you'll do best in, and perform it the way that suits you the most. So long as you can fly and shoot better than half of Lylat, I leave most of the rest up to you."

"That's wonderful." Fiora grinned, and then did a happy little jig as she turned and hugged her sister. "What else do I need to know?"

"Well..." Fox said. "I'm not the only one you'll need to convince to let you join the team."

Fiora cocked her head. "Oh?"

"I'll want you to make certain that Falco, Slippy, and Peppy are okay with it," Fox explained. "Like I said, we're a family, and we handle new teammates collectively. But I don't think you'll have much to worry about."

Fiora smiled. "I'll do my best."

Fox returned her smile. "That's all any of us can ask." Fox's ears perked when he heard the sound of an access panel being slammed shut. He looked over at Slippy and said, "All done?"

"Yup." Slippy waddled over, wiping his hands on his flight suit. "She's good to go."

"Thank you," Fiora said. "Slippy, you wouldn't have a problem with me joining the team, would you?"

Slippy looked up at her from his diminutive height and gave her an appraising look. Fox hid a smile. "Hmm..." The toad stroked his chin, then nodded. "Yeah. No problem. You're ship is way too cool for me to say no."

Fox laughed. "Technology is the fastest way to Slippy's heart. Keep that in mind."

"What about Falco and Peppy?"

"Peppy? Just be honest with him. Falco though..." Fox trailed off, then looked to Krystal.

"The fastest way to his heart is unmentionable," Krystal replied. "Just go up to him and tell him you're joining the team, and that he has to deal with it. He'll squawk about not being consulted, but he likes assertive women."

"Really?" Fiora raised an eyebrow. "That's a point in his favor, in my book."

"Eh." Fox shrugged. "Wait until you meet him. We better get going though. We do have a mission to complete."

Everyone nodded and headed to their ships. As Fox warmed up the Arwing's engines he felt a tickle in the back of his mind. He let Krystal in, and smiled as he felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. He glanced over at her fighter and gave her a thumbs up. He blushed when she responded by blowing him a kiss. Hooking into the team comm Fox said, "Follow me. Star Fox, move out."

()()()()

After the team returned to the _Great Fox_ they separated for awhile, with Fox heading to the bridge to confer with Peppy, Slippy to check on the ship's systems, and Krystal to show Fiora to the room she was being given. As they stood in the turbolift heading for the living quarters, Fiora looked at her sister and said, "So, how long have the two of you been together?"

Krystal glanced at her, then replied, "Not that long. Maybe a week?"

Fiora nodded, then brushed her tail against her sister's. That didn't surprise her. Nor did the strong attachment to Fox McCloud she felt from her sister. Krystal felt things. And she felt them strongly. Fiora was the same way. When she'd met Decius, her lover, now missing, it had been a matter of days before they'd bonded for life. She had never regretted that decision. Not even for an instant. Frankly, the fact that she didn't sense a similar bond between Fox and Krystal yet astounded her. The two of them clearly felt a love for the other that was as deep as any mated pair on Cerinia, perhaps even deeper. "When are you going to bond?"

"I'm not sure," Krystal admitted. The lift doors open and they stepped back out onto the deck. A long, carpeted corridor, with beige walls and warm lighting stretched before them. "This is the residential deck," Krystal explained. "We all have our own quarters here."

"How many people can the _Great Fox_ sustain at once?" Fiora wondered. The scale of the ship was impressive, on par with the largest cargo ships her and Krystal's father had owned.

"One hundred and fifty," Krystal answered. "The ship is mostly automated though. ROB, our AI, runs just about everything himself."

"Huh. Interesting."

Krystal stopped at a doorway and pressed the open button. The doors sighed apart, and Fiora followed her sister into the room. "Lights," the blue vixen said.

The lights came on and Fiora smiled at the accommodations she was being afforded. A pair of long, oval windows looked out on the starfield surrounding the ship. The floor also had soft, well maintained, carpet, while the room's furniture consisted of a couch, a chair, and a bed in a separate sleeping alcove. There was also a bathroom with a bath and shower. "This is amazing."

Krystal smiled. "These are technically what would have been senior officer's quarters," Krystal explained. "But, seeing as there are so few of us, we just use the most comfortable rooms."

Fiora sank down onto the couch with a sigh. It was soft, but not mushy. It could support her. She patted the seat next to her, and Krystal sat down on it. Smiling, Fiora said, "Do we have a little time before we get to business?"

"I think so." Krystal reached out and took her sister's hands in hers. She felt the crackle of psionic energy between them, and she let out a pleasured little sigh at a sensation she thought she'd never feel again. Looking into her sister's eyes, she said, "I can't describe how much I missed you."

Fiora smiled, pulling her sister into a hug. Their bodies began to glow with their combined auras, and Fiora whispered, "Show me." Then, the two of them lost themselves in their familial bond, experiencing each other's thoughts and sensations, feelings and emotions, and doing what Cerinians did best: Connecting.

()()()()

Krystal took a seat in the _Great Fox_ 's situation room. The room was dominated by a central table, with workstations, screens, and holoprojectors surrounding it. Seated at the front of the table was Fox, who was scrolling through a dataslate. Peppy sat at the other end. Falco was next to Fox, with his feet up on the table, and chair rocking back on its back legs. Slippy sat next to him, and Fiora took a seat next to her. It had been a day since Fiora had come onboard, and Krystal was happy to say her sister was melding into the team already. Even Falco had been impressed by her performance in the flight simulators. Out of sight of everyone else, she brushed her blue tail against her sister's blood red one, getting a smile from the slightly older vixen.

"Alright," said Fox. "Now that we're all here, let's get started. Peppy, can you..."

"Whaaa!"

All heads whipped towards Falco, and laughter erupted as the falcon fell backwards to land flat on his ass on the floor. Slippy was the only one who was maintaining a blank expression. Falco jumped up and slicked his crest back with a hand. "Meant to do that."

Krystal glanced at Slippy and gave him a slight nod of approval. She knew Slippy had done it, but he'd managed to do so stealthily, and her senses told her Falco was none the wiser. Looking at the avian, Fox said, "I've told you a thousand times not to sit like that in here."

"Yeah, well, I like to live dangerously." Falco huffed and picked his chair back up, setting it back on its legs and sitting down.

Fox shook his head. "Right. Peppy?"

Peppy stood up and tapped a control on the table. A holographic readout blossomed in the center of the group. Krystal saw names, dates, and figures, along with photos of Ivan Yarus and several planets in Lylat. "ROB and I have spent the last day combing through this data, and we've found something interesting." He toggled another control. A set of names appeared. "These are all shell corporations owned by Yarus, or owned by people associated with Yarus."

Fiora raised her hand. "Shell company?"

"It's a company that has no assets or actual business purpose," Peppy explained. "It's usually used for tax avoidance or to allow someone to do something anonymously."

"So, sort of like an alternate identity?" Krystal asked.

"Yes." Peppy nodded. "In this case to allow someone to hide or transfer money, all without a direct paper trail back to them."

"Guy must not have been very good," Falco commented. "We traced him."

"Cornerian Intelligence did," Peppy said.

"Then he must have been really bad," Falco said.

That made Fox chuckle. "So, where do these companies lead us, Pep?"

"Papetoon." The hare tapped another control. A 3D image of the arid world materialized. Krystal noted the green patches around rivers and in the valleys, and labels pointing to regions identified these as major agricultural locations. "Specifically, the Carrion Mountains." The image zoomed in on a mountain range in the southern hemisphere. "Yarus, or rather a shell personality, think a shell corp but with a person instead, bought several square miles in a mining deal shortly before the Lylat War started."

"Why would a scientist be interesting in doing mining on Papetoon?" Fiora asked. "I read the briefing packet," she added.

Fox smiled. "I figured. That puts you ahead of at least one person at this table."

"Hey, I skimmed the important parts!" Falco cawed, indignant.

"How would you know what's important if all you did was skim it?" Fox arched an eyebrow.

Falco crossed his arms and looked petulant. "It was fifty pages long. I keep telling you keep it to the essentials."

"Fifty pages long?" Krystal raised her eyebrows. "Mine was only ten."

"It was only ten. You didn't read any of it, did you?" Fox shook his head. "Did you even open the file?"

"I skimmed the header."

Fox put his head in his hands, and Krystal reached out and patted him on the back. He looked back up and said, "Getting back to it. Why would Yarus buy a plot land for mineral exploitation? And why in the Carrion Mountains? There's nothing there. Nothing interesting. Simple geo scan will tell you that."

Peppy nodded. "All questions I asked. The only explanation is that it wasn't for mining, though there is some mention of excavation and construction going on there. But the war kicked off right about then, and our records then are sketchy."

"I thought the war was rather recent," Krystal said, curious. "How bad could the records be?"

"For a Venomian? Especially one like Yarus?" Peppy tugged at his mustache. "Bad. They burned and wiped almost all of their records when we invaded Venom. We're lucky we have this much."

"I see." Krystal leaned back in her chair and stared at the zoomed in image of the Carrion Mountains. "You think he's hiding there."

"In those mountains?" Slippy looked incredulous. "There's no cities within a hundred miles. No civilization period. What could he be doing there?"

"Hiding." Fox growled, and Krystal could tell he didn't like the idea that a Venomian war criminal might have been hiding on his birth planet for the last eight years, right under Corneria's nose. "The construction must have been for a lab or hideout. Think about it. It's perfect. Papetoon is neutral. And they want to stay that way during the war, so they're not going to be exposing Venomian secrets and getting on Andross's shit list. Corneria respects their neutrality too, so we never go in there looking for anything. It's perfect."

"Just what I was thinking," Peppy said.

All eyes were on Fox as he stared at the image for a moment. Krystal sensed him coming to grips with his feelings about the matter, dealing with the ones he could in a few moments, and setting aside the ones he'd need to scream into a pillow about. He took Venomians personally. She couldn't blame him. The two of them had both lost everything to Andross and his minions. The chance to go and grab one as important as Yarus, and finally get an answer as to what that probe was, and what they would be facing in the future, excited her. It also enraged her to think of this man having escaped justice for this long.

Fox stood up, and the room stood up with him. Falco included. Fox brought his wristcomm to his muzzle and said, "ROB? Set a course for Papetoon. Maximum sublight." Fox looked at the room, his eyes meeting the gazes of each team member, starting with Falco. Krystal noticed a bit of warmth in his eyes directed at the falcon, reminding her that, despite everything the two had been through, they were still the best of friends. When he looked at her she stared back with love and confidence, her hands balling into determined fists. Fox's gaze finally came to rest on Fiora, and he said, "Are you ready for this?"

Krystal glanced at her sister, and she smiled as the blood red vixen said, "Let's go get him."

* * *

A/N: The plot thickens...

A shorter chapter, but we're moving forward. As always I want to give a shout out to all of you who have been reviewing, following, faving, and generally just enjoying and supporting this story. Every one of your reviews brings a smile to my face, and all your follows and favs do brighten my day.

I'll see you guys in the next update!

-furfurfurfurufurufurufughuehgoinreoigeroihgurhguirghpiurhg9wur


	9. Carrion Mountains

Chapter 9

Carrion Mountains

Dirt crunched beneath the soles of Krystal's boots as the team hiked up the Carrion Mountains. Above them, Falco was flying aerial recon, and maintaining overwatch. On the ground, she, Fiora, Slippy, and Fox were making their way towards the coordinates of the mining site.

They'd been forced to land more than a kilometer below the site, the Carrion Mountains having few clearings. This wasn't due to an abundance of vegetation, but rather due to an overabundance of boulders. Paths snaked through the smooth, yellow rocks, but they were barely wide enough to move through in single file, and definitely too small to land an Arwing in.

As they walked Krystal used her senses to try and get a feel for the place. What she got back disturbed her. Cerinians didn't just sense the living, they could also sense the dead. Not as in ghosts or supernatural beings, though Krystal's experience with Andross had certainly convinced her that such things existed, but rather the final emotions of those who had passed on traumatically. This place was full of unending, silent, screams of terror. Krystal pursed her lips and shut her mind to it, glancing at her sister with a question in her eyes. Fiora nodded. "I feel it too."

Fox glanced back at them from where he led the group, blaster in hand. "Feel what?"

"Death." Krystal frowned, realizing how melodramatic that sounded. "I can sense the imprints, the final thoughts, of the people who died here," she explained. "Who were they?"

Fox frowned. "Civilians. Caught in a crossfire during the Troubles here on Papetoon."

"The Troubles?" Fiora asked, picking up on the proper noun usage.

"It was a war between small farmers and the big Agri Corps about a hundred years ago," Fox said. "It started with protests. But, when those didn't go anywhere, and the small farmers kept getting bought out by the big corporations, some of the started getting violent. Flash forward ten years, and these groups weren't just targeting the Agri Corps anymore. They were hitting anyone who worked for them. Innocent people." Fox's voice grew heavy with disdain. "Non-combatants. Journalists. Anyone."

Krystal nodded. She'd heard of things like this. It happened wherever people felt they were being treated unfairly. Anywhere where a small group of powerful people controlled the fates of multitudes, and did so without wisdom. "And that's what happened here?"

"One of the Agri Corps, Donatella Farms, sponsored a settlement here." Fox paused and looked behind them. Krystal turned as well, and she saw that they had a view of the surrounding valley. A river snaked through it, surrounded on either side by lush, verdant, vegetation. It struck her that this would have made good farmland. "The extremists got wind of it. They attacked. The civilians fled up here into the mountains. They were unarmed." Krystal grimaced. She could guess where this was going. "The extremists hunted them. Killed 'em all. Called them traitors for siding with Donatella over Papetoon. Whatever that means."

"That's horrible." Fiora shook her head. "Why didn't anybody do something?"

"Because before then it was just riots." Fox glanced at Slippy. The toad looked at him with sympathy, and Krystal knew that the amphibian understood how much injustices like this bothered Fox. Past or present made no difference. If it was in the past, Fox would only wish he'd been there to stop it. "Five, six people would get killed. There'd be a bombing, twenty people. Corneria called it an 'internal affair' and stayed out of it. When this happened though, it was a thousand people, massacred in cold blood. Men, women, children." Fox voice became heavy with emotion, and Krystal knew he was thinking of his parents. "Mothers and fathers." Krystal's mind flashed with images of what it must have been like. Desperate parents clutching crying children to their chests, trying to get them to be silent, only to have some armed maniac come around the corner...

Fox turned and resumed hiking. Krystal and the others followed him. Krystal reached out with her telepathy, offering him strength. She filled the line she extended to him with love and understanding. Sympathy. She let him feel that she loved him for the fact that recounting a tale like this moved him. That he'd not let years and years of suffering and lose jade him to the loss and suffering of others. Fox felt.

"After that," Fox went on. "Corneria finally got involved. They authorized a peacekeeping mission, the largest the system had ever seen. A million troops. Two years of counterinsurgency. And for once it worked. Both sides came to the table, and they hammered out a peace deal. Corneria passed interplanetary regulation for the agri corps to limit their power, and small farmers ended up getting a lot of what they wanted. As for this region? It was established as an historical monument. No development. And the mountains got their name."

"It seems like a cold name. Carrion," Fiora said, after a moment of silence.

Fox snorted. "It was a cold massacre. They did most of it from the air. VTOL planes called 'Vultures.' Hence the name."

Krystal sighed. Such waste and violence. She opened her telepathy again. Not as much as before, but enough that she could feel the presences of those who'd lost their lives that day, a century ago. Fiora did the same. It was the least they could do to honor the victims.

After another hour of hiking they reached the coordinates of the mine. Krystal looked around at the steep cliff faces surrounding them. "I don't see any mining equipment. Or even evidence of digging."

"No." Fox shook his head, a frown on his muzzle. He'd returned to his usual cheery professionalism. "Slip?"

Slippy shrugged off his backpack and took out the device he'd been carrying. He set it on the ground on a trio of small metal legs, then twisted the conical top. It hummed and he tapped a control, calibrating it. Krystal recognized it as a portable geoscanner. "Give it a minute and I should have a location for you."

Krystal glanced around and spotted Fiora in front of a smooth rock face. Arching an eyebrow she walked over to see what her sister was looking at. "What is it?"

"There's a seam here." Fiora pointed to a spot on the rock.

Krystal leaned in, trying to see it. She couldn't. "I don't see anything."

"You aren't telekinetic," Fiora reminded her.

"True."

Footsteps crunched behind them, and Krystal glanced over her shoulder to see Fox join them. "See something?"

"There's a seam, right here." Fiora pointed her finger, than ran it across the rock in a circle.

"I don't see anything." Fox looked skeptical.

"It's too small to see with the naked eye," Fiora told him. "But I can feel it. My telekinesis gives me an awareness of objects. Sort of like a scanner, in a way. Krystal can tell you where a person is. I can tell you where a thing is."

"Really?" Fox was impressed. "What kind of range are we talking?"

"I could tell you where you put your blaster anywhere on the _Great Fox_ , so, in a radius of a few hundred meters." Fiora touched the rock face again, a little cloud of dust rose at the contact. "Moving it would be a different matter."

"How different?" Krystal glanced at Fox. "I don't mean to be pushy, but it's information I need to know."

"It's alright." Fiora smiled faintly. "Telepaths can be sensitive about talking about their powers. Krystal's abilities are more private by their nature. Telekinesis is less so. I could lift a blaster and bring it to me from about ten or twelve meters distant. I could tip a car from about three meters. I could move this rock from here."

"How heavy..." A beeping noise interrupted him, and everyone turned to see Slippy waving in triumph. "What have you got Slip?" Fox called back to him.

"A tunnel. Right...where you guys are standing." Slippy had a surprise expression on his face. "How did you guys know?"

Fox looked at Fiora. "Our newest team member is magic."

Fiora laughed. "Magic. Science. I could never tell the difference."

"Mm." Krystal hummed and wagged her tail. "But then I was always the smart one."

"You wound me, sister." Fiora grinned and brushed her tail against Krystal's. "Now, let me move this rock. Step back."

Krystal and Fox both took a few steps back. Fox leaned close to Krystal and whispered, "Is she going to move the entire cliff face? Because it still looks completely smooth to me."

"Watch," Krystal replied.

Fiora closed her eyes and set her hands on the rock, then inched back, letting her palms and fingers hover just above the surface. Her face contorted as she strained, and for a moment nothing seemed to happen. Then the sound of rock scraping against rock filled the air, and dust began to drift from the rock face. Fiora began to walk backwards, and as she moved a circular section of stone followed her. Krystal looked on with satisfaction as Fox and Slippy's jaws dropped. Fiora moved to the left, taking the object with her, and, once it had moved out of the way and they could see a corridor leading inside the mountain, she dropped the stone. She spent a moment catching her breath, then turned to everyone and said, "Shall we?"

Krystal pulled out her blaster and aimed it down the corridor. Fox brought his wrist comm to his muzzle and said, "Big Bird, you copy?"

"I resent that call sign."

"And yet..."

"Yeah, yeah. What do you need?"

Fox smirked and said, "We're heading into the lab. Sending you our coordinates. No sign of hostile activity, but keep an eye out." Fox tapped a button on his wrist comm, sending their location to Falco. "Got it?"

"Got it. Have fun down there."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be a blast." Fox raised his blaster and said, "Let's go."

Behind Fox, Krystal advanced. When they passed the threshold she felt a blast of cool air from the ventilation system. She looked up, checking the vents. They were full of dust, but appeared functional, if a bit rattly. Their boots clicking against the smooth metal flooring was the only other sound that Krystal could pick up. They moved forward.

A corridor branched off from the main one, leading to what looked like a clean room facility. The group paused, and Fox said, "Slippy, you and Fiora check it out. Krystal and I are going to keep moving ahead."

"Roger." Slippy nodded, and he and Fiora headed for the clean room.

"You don't suppose they were working on biologicals?" Krystal asked.

"If they were Slippy will know. I told them to check it out, not put themselves in danger." Fox started walking. He glanced at a sign that had the words 'Control Room' painted on it. "Looks like that's where we're headed."

The overhead lighting flickered, and Krystal glanced at the ceiling. She could see pipes running along the roof through the grating. What they might have carried she had no idea. Part of her told her that she didn't want to know. After what she'd heard and learned about the Venomians in the past couple of months, she had the feeling that that latter instinct was probably the correct one. "This place gives me the creeps," she muttered.

"Yeah. Me too." Fox stopped at the door at the end of the hall. He glanced at the window looking in. Krystal saw control consoles over his shoulder. "This must be it." He brought his wrist comm to his muzzle and said, "Slippy, find anything?"

"Not much," came the response. "No biomatter. I do see a lot of microscopes and ultra-fine manipulators. Whatever they were working on here, it was at the microscopic level. Molecular machinery, maybe?"

Fox frowned. "Andross did have an affinity for nanotechnology. Would the room you're in have anything to do with that."

"It could." Slippy sounded hesitant.

"What is it Slip?"

"I'm not sure. Didn't Fara say the probe they found was made of catoms?"

"Yeah. You think they built it here?" Fox exchanged a look with Krystal. This sounded promising.

"No." Slippy sounded sure this time. "There's nothing here to build on even that scale."

"Hmm." Fox's eyes flicked towards the control room. "Come meet us. I'm gonna need Fiora to get this door open."

"On our way."

"What are you thinking Fox?" Krystal touched him on the shoulder. She could sense his mind working.

"Whatever this place is, I don't think it's a hideout." Fox sighed. "It's well hidden, but there's no signs of recent habitation. And, if it were a hideout with someone living in it, I don't think we'd have gotten in the door that easily."

"I agree." Krystal nodded. "Something about this place is off. I don't sense any lifeforms. Other than a few colonies of beetles chewing on the power cables."

"Maybe they know where Ivan went," Fox joked.

"I could always ask them. If I spoke beetle." Krystal smiled, then turned at the approach of Fiora and Slippy. "Welcome back."

"Good to be back." Fiora grinned. "Need help?"

Fox moved the side and motioned towards the door. "I'd like to open this door, but I don't have a key, and I'd rather not blow it up."

Fiora's grin widened. "Oh. I can help with that." The blood red vixen stepped up to the door and set her hands on it. "It slides. Gimme one second." With notably less strain than the entrance to the hideout, or lab, as Krystal was beginning to suspect, Fiora slid the door into its pocket.

"Did you..." Fox cocked his head.

"Yes." Fiora smiled and shook out her hands. "I channeled the energy to enhance my strength. Closer the range, the less the strain."

"Right." Fox raised his blaster again, and the group made their way inside. The control room wasn't very large. Most of the space was taken up by a wall of supercomputers and their associated interfaces. Once more, Krystal sensed nothing but the beetles. No imprints to indicate recent habitation.

There was a second door to their left. Krystal walked up to it and, at a nod from Fox, tapped the release button. The door opened and Krystal stepped inside. A bed occupied one corner, and a desk the other. "Whoever used to live here," she said, stepping back out into the control room. "They definitely had time to pack."

Slippy was at the control panel for the supercomputers and was busy firing them up. Fox was looking over his shoulder, and Fiora was covering the door. "Try not to trip any alarms Slip," Fox said.

"Mya mya," Slippy replied, typing away.

Krystal ambled over to Fox and said, "What are you thinking?"

"That this might be a dead end." Fox sighed. "I shoulda realized this wouldn't be easy."

"Our intel was sketchy to begin with," Krystal argued. "Maybe Slippy will find something."

Fox was about to respond when alarm klaxons started blaring. "Dammit Slippy!"

"Sorry!" Slippy's skin flushed to an even darker shade of green. "I've almost..."

 _Bzap!_

Krystal yipped and dove for cover as a plasma bolt landed inches away from her feet. "Shit." Pressing her back up against the wall near the door Krystal risked a peek around the corner. Another plasma bolt seared the air, and she whipped her head back. "Sentry bots," she called to the room.

Fox stacked up behind her, and Fiora took cover across from her. Slippy, fortunately, was out of their line of sight where he stood at the controls. "I knew this would happen," Fox muttered. "I really need to get Katt on the payroll."

Another plasma bolt flew through the door, impacting on the far wall. Krystal glanced at Fox. "What's the plan?"

"I thought we'd try shooting our way out. Mix things up a little." Having said that, he leaned out from cover and squeezed a few bolts of plasma down the corridor. They impacted on one of the sentry bots, and it collapsed to the ground in a smoking heap. "They don't have ray shields."

"Thank the goddesses for small mercies then," Krystal replied. Leaning around the corner she sent a laser beam into the center of the second sentry bot. The beam bored through it and it collapsed on the floor, its power systems and antigrav unit fried. Krystal smiled in satisfaction. "I think that's all of them."

Fox looked back at Slippy and said, "Did you get everything?"

"Umm. I downloaded the entire database," Slippy said. "But it's encrypted."

"Can you break it?" Fox frowned, and Krystal sensed his frustration.

"No." Slippy shook his head, embarrassed. "It's a little beyond my expertise."

"What do we do then?" Fiora asked.

"Let's get back the _Great Fox_ ," Fox said, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. "We'll figure out our next move from there."

Everyone nodded, and Slippy withdrew a datacard from the computer system. He tucked it snugly in the pocket of his jumpsuit and followed the group as they made their way back down the corridor. Fox's wrist comm beeped and he paused to bring it to his muzzle. "Fox here."

"Yo Fox, you guys got something going down there?" Falco's voice came back.

"As in?" Fox frowned at his wrist comm. Krystal knew that Falco often refused to follow the simple protocol of keeping messages short and specific. He did short, but specific was often beyond him.

"I mean, as in, you planning to blow the place up? Because my sensors are going haywire about an antimatter build up."

Fox's eyes widened and he shot a fierce look at Slippy. "Slippy..."

"They must have a self destruct protocol!" Slippy screamed and started running.

"Oh goddammit," Fox cursed. "Come on. Go! Falco, get clear. Now!"

"Don't gotta tell me twice."

Krystal ran alongside Fox and Fiora, Slippy ahead of them, speeding away at a pace she would have never thought possible for the donut loving amphibian. They cleared the doorway and kept running, Krystal's arms pumped and her legs burned as she pushed herself to the limit. She didn't know how long they had, none of them did. There'd been no countdown. If Falco hadn't warned them...

Behind Krystal a brilliant flash of golden light blotted out the sun and shadows. A burst of heat and radiation passed over her, along with a wave of sound that had her ears plastering themselves against her skull. Krystal screamed as she threw herself behind a rock. It lasted only an instant, and then the light and sound dissipated, and the heat returned to a normal afternoon on Papetoon. Looking out from behind her rock Krystal's jaw dropped. Half the cliffside that the lab had been buried in had disappeared, cut cleanly away and vaporized. The walls on either side were completely smooth. "Goddesses," she did a quick sign on her chest, thanking the divine from Cerinia for keeping her safe. She felt a hand rest itself on her shoulder and she looked up to see Fox next to her. "Fox?"

"It's alright. We're good." Fox helped her up. "Antimatter explosion." Fox looked at Fiora. "How? What?"

Krystal turned and laughed. Fiora couldn't be seen, but where she was was obvious. She'd pulled rock and dirt and boulders into a shielding column around her. "Is it over?" a muffled voice came to them from behind the almost artistic display of telekinesis.

"Yes," Krystal said.

The rock and debris tumbled down around her, and Fiora stood panting and sweating, but otherwise unharmed. Seeing the look of astonishment on Fox's face she said, "Panic reaction. I doubt I'll be able to lift anything for the next couple of days."

"Ah. Where's Slippy?"

Krystal looked around, then stretched her telepathy out and zeroed in on a location. "Over there." She pointed to a spot about thirty meters from them. "How does he run that fast?"

"He gets more practice than you might expect." Fox chuckled. "During the Lylat Wars, I swear I think I heard "Get this guy off me Fox" more times than I can count. Not to mention, running from Falco when he eats all the cereal." Fox cupped his hands over his muzzle and yelled, "Slippy!"

"Fooooox!"

"We're going home!"

"Meet you down there!"

Fox chuckled again and waved for the group to get moving. He took Krystal's hand and squeezed it, and she knew the gesture was a promise that he wouldn't let today's mission be a dead end.

* * *

A/N: Woo. Sorry, this one was almost late, haha. Anyway, is this a dead end? I hope not.

Katt: It's not.

Katt?

Katt: Huh? Oh. Right! _scurries away_

I hope you guys enjoyed, and the next chapter will be a little different flavor. Definitely more in the Fox/Krystal rather than strict plot arena.

Katt: It'll be good!

KATT!

Katt: Sorry!

Oi. She likes to pop in and out.

Krystal: We all do.

This is true.

Alright, I better put an end to this author's note. I hope you guys are all doing well, and, as always, I want to thank you all for reviewing, leaving follows and favs, and all of that. The response this story has gotten has been amazing, and I love hearing from you guys! And if you're only just catching up, don't forget to drop a follow, because there will be plenty more updates in the future :D

Fiora: Psst.

Oh! And I almost forgot, if you noticed a change of decoration for this story, specifically the cover image, that would be because it is now an image of our very own telekinetic, Krystal-Sibling, Fiora Zonoc! FF's very own Heyren was so inspired by her introduction that he asked permission to draw a portrait of her, and how could I refuse? The finished work will now be adorning this story, as well as my profile, so a huge shout out of appreciation for him, and I hope you all enjoy getting a look at the famous, or perhaps infamous, Blood Red Vixen!

-furfurfrufurufurufrufur


	10. Deconversation

Chapter 10

Deconversation

The door to the decontamination chamber shut behind Fox, and the room's blue lighting came online. A humming noise filled the air as the chamber's systems started pumping counter radiation rays into the air. Fox's teeth felt like they were vibrating. He couldn't believe this. Of all the rotten luck.

"I'm sorry, why are we in here?" Krystal asked.

Fox looked at her, sheepish, and said, "We caught some gamma rays from the antimatter explosion down on the surface. It's either this, or our DNA starts to unravel like noodles."

"Noodles?"

"I heard it on a TV show once," Fox said, walking over to a cabinet in the room. He opened it and pulled out two containers marked 'anti-rad gel'. He handed one to Krystal. "This is where it gets awkward. We're gonna have to uh...well, rub this on ourselves. It's part of the process."

Krystal arched an eyebrow at him. "Really?"

Fox groaned. "Really. I'm sorry. If there were another room I could be in..." Krystal's other eyebrow came up. Fox stopped and course corrected, or at least he tried to. "I mean, not that I wouldn't enjoy seeing you uh...well, what I mean is, I don't want you to ever have to see me...actually, I mean, at some point maybe, just you know..."

Krystal rolled her eyes and opened the container. "All over?"

"Yeah. All over." Fox gulped.

"Turn around."

"Right." Fox turned away and stared at the opposite wall. He tried not to be distracted by the sound of the blue vixen disrobing right behind him. Then he remembered that he needed to do the same. "Crap."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing." Fox shook his head and took a deep breath, then started removing his flight suit, and everything under it. A minute later he was nude and looking at the gel in his hands, and wondering just how the hell this was going to work. _Self control. You have it. Use it._ Opening the gel container, he got some on his hands and started rubbing it across his fur. It was cold and sticky, and definitely not designed for fur, despite what its creators would probably have claimed. He'd once met a guy working security for a tech company who doused himself in fur gel every morning. Claimed it made him look great, and that the ladies loved it. All Fox could think was how disgusting it must have made his fur feel and smell during the act. _Okay, definitely don't think about that._

Once he'd finished his front, his head, and his shoulders, Fox came to the unfortunate realization that there were a few things he still needed to do, and some things he couldn't reach. Looking down he frowned and did his best to imagine the most un-sexy things in the galaxy as he rubbed the gel on his...he really didn't want to think about where he had to rub this gel, and who was in the room while he was doing it. He vowed then and there to have an additional decon chamber installed with their next paycheck. He finished and, realizing Krystal would need him to help with her back, he started to turn around. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her already turned towards him. Apparently she'd had the same thought. She was beautiful. He'd never seen a vixen so gorgeous. Never seen a female of any species that could compare. His eyes traveled up and down her body, and his ears started to smoke a little bit at the tips.

For her part, Krystal smiled and said, "You know, we have admitted our undying love for each other." Fox nodded. "Despite what I said a moment ago, I think we're both allowed a little peep show, don't you?"

"D'ummm uhh, yeah?" Fox tried to get his brain working again.

"So, turn around and face me. All the way." Her smile curved further upwards, and her tail swished behind her.

Fox followed her directions, and turned to look at her. She smirked and put her arms behind her back, leaving her chest uncovered. "See something you like?"

Fox nearly keeled over. Then he saw where her eyes had traveled, and the way her muzzle had dropped open. "What?" He looked down and his eyes widened. "Oh god!" He covered his crotch with his hands, and just about ran out of the room, not caring about the possibility of dying in pain from radiation poisoning. It had to be preferable to their current circumstances.

"Fox..."

Turning around Fox walked over to the wall and leaned against it, not facing her. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life. He'd been doing everything possible to keep himself from getting...aroused. He'd screwed up royally. "Dammit. I'm sorry Krystal."

"Fox." He stiffened when he heard her footsteps coming towards him. He whimpered when he felt her soft hands on his back. "It's alright."

"Huh?" He glanced over his shoulder at her, not sure he'd heard the right words.

Laughing sweetly, in a way that he knew she meant to be reassuring, she said, "I was going to see it eventually."

"Oh." Fox sighed, still refusing to turn around. "I kinda hoped it would be a little more romantic."

"Aww." Krystal rubbed his back. "It's alright. Come here." She pulled on him to turn around, and he cooperated. She pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss, and then said, "I'm not disappointed, if you were worried."

Fox blushed even more at that. "Um, I wasn't actually."

"Really?" Krystal cocked her head. "I thought most men..."

Fox felt a bit of his confidence come back, and he smirked at her. "I'm not most men."

Grinning, her tail wagging, Krystal kissed him again. "No. You're not."

"Um. We aren't gonna?" Fox asked, not needing to say more.

Krystal shook her head. "Forgive me but, I'd rather my first time be somewhere a little more romantic than the decon chamber."

"First time?" Fox asked.

Krystal turned around and said, "Do my back, and I'll explain."

"Okay." Fox got some more gel and started rubbing it into her back, trying not to be too obvious about how much he was enjoying the feeling of her fur against his claws, or her muscles against his fingertips.

"You can enjoy it Fox," Krystal told him, a hint of amusement in her inflection.

"I don't want to get carried away," Fox replied, hands moving from up between her shoulder blades, down towards her lower back. "And you haven't answered my question."

"I know." She took a breath, then said, "I'm a virgin."

Fox's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull, and he stopped rubbing for a moment. "What now?"

Krystal shook her head and muttered something in her own language. "I'm a virgin. Cerinians mate for life. If you'll have me, you'll be my first, and my only."

"Ah." Fox smiled, decided to be bold, and kissed her on the back of the neck, ignoring the strange taste and smell of the gel. She shivered beneath that simple touch. "I'm done back here."

Krystal turned and looked at him. "You're okay with this?"

Fox smiled and said, "Okay with it? Krys, there's nothing that could make me happier than knowing I'm going to be your one and only. And trust me, I'll find us someplace romantic. Not a decon chamber, at least."

"Good." Krystal looked relieved. "I was a little worried, honestly. Turn around."

Fox turned and sighed happily at the feeling of her hands rubbing gel into his back. "Why is that?"

"Lylat is just so different. And your mating practices seem a bit...chaotic."

Fox chuckled. "Yeah. They are that. If you don't mind my asking, where does the mating for life come from with your people? Is it just cultural?"

Krystal hesitated for a moment, then said, "When we mate, our minds will form a link that will persist our whole lives. I don't know how it'll affect you, since you're not Cerinian but...let's just say that sharing thoughts and emotions makes us more hesitant to just have fun with others."

"I see." Fox thought about that for a moment. "You mean I could be in your head some day?"

"It's more complicated than that," Krystal replied, her hands rubbing his lower back. Fox tried to hold it in, but he started panting and wagging his tail. Krystal stopped. "Um, what?"

Blushing like mad, Fox mumbled, "Itchy spot."

Krystal laughed. "Aww. I'll remember that. All done."

Fox turned around. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "I want you to know, whatever the bond means, I want it. I want to be with you. Forever."

Krystal's heart fluttered, and she looked into his eyes. "I want the same."

Fox's knees felt a little weak hearing her say that. "Six weeks and we're ready to mate for life."

Krystal nodded. "My sister and her mate knew in a few days. My parents? A week. We're going slowly by comparison."

Wrapping her in his arms, Fox pulled her into a hug. "Once this is all over, what do you say we take a vacation? Somewhere nice."

"With room service?" Krystal asked.

Fox wagged his tail. "With room service."

"Then yes." Krystal pulled back a little, her hands resting on his chest. "What now?"

"A very cold shower," Fox answered, looking down at the space between them. Krystal glanced down and giggled.

"Very, very, cold." Krystal took his hands and led him to the shower area. "Come on, you can get my back again."

Squeezing her hands, Fox answered, "I'll always have your back."

Krystal just smiled and said, "I know."

* * *

A/N: Sorry this was late! Yesterday was a busy day.

This chapter is a bit of a departure from previous chapters, but I wanted to do something goofy and a little sexy with the two of them now that they have admitted their undying love for each other. We'll be returning to the plot soon enough, but for now I hope you enjoyed Fox being a giant doofy doofus and Krystal being a teasing dork.

And, of course, thank you to all my reviewers. I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but I love hearing your guys' thoughts, and I'm super happy that people are enjoying this fic so far :) So as always, read, review, fav/follow, whatever you do, I appreciate it to the bottom of my heart.

Until next time...

-the furfur


	11. Pain and Progress

Chapter 11

Pain and Progress

"Run!"

"What's happening?"

"Who are they?"

"What do they want?"

"Why are they doing this?"

Fiora ran through the streets of Tenked, Seventh Temple Town of Cerinia, trying not to be dragged down into the muck of fear and despair that pervaded the city's aura. Above her, in the dark night sky, red, blocky, ships blotted out the stars. The only light came from the laser beams they poured down into the town, melting houses and incinerating townspeople with every volley. Those were the lucky ones though. Fiora had heard reports of ships landing and disgorging mercenaries and slavers, who took Cerinians and then escaped back into orbit, and then out beyond the system. Panic gripped the entire world.

Pushing past a throng of families desperately trying to make it out of the town and into the hills, Fiora tried to reach out and find her mother. Not for the first time she cursed the fact that her telepathy wasn't anywhere near as strong as her mother's, or sister's. Her telekinesis seemed almost useless at the moment.

Distracted by her telepathic outreach, she didn't see or hear the missile that one of the ships overhead launched until it impacted twenty meters behind her. The force of the shock sent her tumbling to the ground, and her muzzle hit the hard, unforgiving cobblestone of the street. More screams and cries of anguish and fear. Fiora lifted herself up and spat out the blood in her mouth from her split lip. At least she hadn't lost any teeth.

"Fiora!"

A voice, augmented with telepathy, rattled through Fiora's ears and against her skull. She whipped around to see her mother approaching. "Mother!" Fiora sprinted towards her to meet her halfway. Her mother, Sapphire, Matriarch of Clan Zonoc, and Seneschal Priestess of Siona, Goddess of Love, Desire, and Fertility, looked more haggard and frightened than Fiora had ever seen her. Her eyes were wild and her hair flowed behind her in an unruly wave. Blood spattered her white dress, and as Fiora reached her she found that it was her mother's own blood. "What happened?"

"It's nothing." Sapphire shook her head. "You must listen. They've already taken your father. You have to get out of here. Now!"

"Taken? Why? What about Decius?" Fiora shook her head, not willing to leave her mother, and desperate to know what had become of her mate.

"I don't know. But they're going to take me. They're going to take me any minute now. You need to leave. Please." Sapphire clutched at her daughter and then pushed her away. "There's a ship at the landing field. Take it! Find your sister. Then find us, and bring the vengeance of Clan Zonoc and Siona to these bastards."

"Mother. I can't leave you. Come with me. We'll escape together." Fiora felt hot, burning, tears in her eyes. Whether it was her emotions or the smoke that was enveloping Tenked, she didn't know.

"If I come with you they'll find you." Sapphire moved the hand that had been covering her abdomen, and Fiora realized where the blood was coming from. A dart was lodged in her mother's belly. A light at the end of it flashed. "One of them tagged me. I barely escaped. But they'll know where I am."

"Mother..." Fiora's voice hitched. "I'll take it out."

"No!" Her mother screamed and stepped back. Fiora had never seen her like this. She seemed on the verge of total panic. It was the most disconcerting sight the blood red vixen had seen in her life. Sapphire Zonoc, the happy, bubbly, outrageous, kind, intelligent, and vivacious life of the town, was on the verge of curling into a ball and bemoaning her fate. No. Not her fate. The fate of her husband, Fiora's father, whom she knew her mother loved more than life itself.

"Why? It'll hurt but..."

"Someone tried." Sapphire continued to back away. "Morina. One of my novices. She tried to take hers out. It exploded!"

Fiora's eyes widened, and she took an involuntary step back. "Mother..."

"GO! For once in your life do as your mother asks and GO!" Sapphire screeched at her, and Fiora saw armored figures coming down the street.

For an instant she remained frozen, memories of all of the fights and disagreements she'd had with her mother coming to the fore. They were different. Fiora had always been daddy's little girl, as Krystal had been Sapphire's. It didn't matter though. In that instant she knew her mother loved her as much as she loved Krystal, or Jade, her husband. Every petty disagreement, every argument over the fact that Fiora refused to pledge to Siona, and instead intended to pledge to Athrata, the warrior goddess, ending two hundred years of Zonoc matriarch tradition, seemed insignificant. Her mother loved her, and she wanted, needed, her to escape.

With a herculean effort, Fiora turned away from her mother and ran towards the landing pad. As she ran, she felt Sapphire reach out for her, and send her a kernel of memory. A shard. A fragment. It held the emotions, the feelings, the love, and the happy memories they'd all had together as a family. Tears streamed from Fiora's eyes as she picked up speed. She knew what her mother needed her to do. Find Krystal. Find her and then find them, and bring vengeance on Andross, the malignant spirit that had done this.

She made it to the landing field. There was one ship remaining. A single person fighter craft. Top of the line. Fiora vaulted into it and began her preflights. Then, over the hills and mountains of the island, Fiora saw the first explosion. It was monumental. Like nothing she had ever seen before. Lava poured from it, running down towards Tenked. Fiora only had seconds before it reached her. Ignoring the rest of her preflight checks she took off and gunned it towards orbit. She blasted and dodged her way past the slavers who had invaded her world, and then blasted out of Cerinia's gravity well.

She looked behind her, and she had to turn away. Cerinia was a warm, tropical world, full of volcanic islands. Long ago the Goddesses had tamed this dangerous, unstable world with their magic and their grace, planting spell stones to contain the fiery rage of the planet's mantle and core. A rage that, if left unchecked, would consume her world, as it had once done millions of years ago. Andross, that vile demon that had arrived, posing as a Krazoa God, had had his minions remove those spell stones. This much was clear to her as she sped away from Cerinia. Her world, her home, dying, burning, boiling, until it would be nothing but a burnt out husk.

Fiora kept flying. She had to find Krystal. She had to find her. Warn her. And then find a way to avenge this...a light brighter than the sun burst behind her, she screamed and...

Fiora woke. Her body was covered in sweat, and she threw off the covers, suddenly feeling the oppression of their weight, light as it was. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and put her head in her hands. Her hair tumbled in front of her muzzle, hiding her face, and the tears that leaked from her eyes. "Decius...I'm so sorry."

She'd had this dream, this memory, or a variation of it every night since she'd escaped Cerinia. More than a year later and she still hadn't discovered whether Decius, her mate, her love, her partner, was still alive, or if he had died when her world had burned, and then exploded into a million pieces. Had he died in pain? Fear? Had he died wondering where she was? Why she wasn't with him? Why she wasn't there to hold him as the end came? Or had he survived? Had he been one of the ones taken? Did he now spend his life enslaved, wishing she had found him? Wondering why she hadn't saved him? Did he have nightmares at night where he saw her dead? Or worse, saw her abandoning him the way she had.

Fiora stood up and reached for some clothes, pulling on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Decent, she walked out of her quarters and headed for the gym on the training deck. The lift doors whispered open, and she walked onto the gym, heading straight for the punching bag. She sized it up, then started punching it bare knuckle, not caring if she bruised her hands. There was no form or reason to her strikes. Instead she let her rage, hurt, and guilt guide her fists.

Why was she here? Why was she on the _Great Fox_? Why had she joined this roving band of mercenaries to begin with? _Because Krystal joined. And they hate Andross as much as we do. I do._

The thought of their shared hatred of the twisted old ape, and the fact that Fox McCloud had put him in the ground not once, but twice, brought a measure of calm and satisfaction to Fiora's mind. She was among friends. People she could trust. And they were on the trail of one Andross's top lackeys. If anyone could provide her with answers, or at least a clue, as to her family and the other Cerinian's location, it would be this Ivan Yarus. _I'll just have to resist the urge to tear out his throat the moment I see him._

Sweat poured down her body. How long had she been doing this? She didn't care. It felt good to take out her frustration on this stupid bastard bag. It's what the warrior priestesses of Athrata had taught her. When frustration was all you had, the best thing you could do was turn it to something useful. Channel the energy into honing your skills, or, at least, into physical activity. Krystal would have gone and practiced her dancing with the other novices at the temple of Siona, and if that hadn't worked, she'd have gone flying. Her mother would have sought comfort in her father, doing her damndest to make Fiora and Krystal another sibling. They all had their ways. Fiora's ran strongly towards punching things.

"Fiora?"

The sound of that sweet, soft, voice, brought everything in Fiora to a halt. She sighed and tipped her head back, feeling the cool, reassuring trickle of her sister entering her mind, filling her with a tranquility and serenity the blood red vixen had never been able to achieve on her own. "Hi Krystal."

A hand rested itself gently on her shoulder, and Fiora turned to gaze at her sister. She looked like she'd only just woken up, her eyes bleary, and her clothes possessing the skew of having been hastily thrown on. "How long have you been up?"

"I don't know. What time is it?" Fiora asked. She flexed her hands and winced. She'd be paying for going bare knuckle.

"Seven in the morning. I just got my wake up call." Krystal yawned and rubbed her eyes. A moment later she seemed more alert. Her nose twitched. "You need a shower."

Fiora blushed. "Probably. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Again?" Krystal looked at her with an open, concerned, expression. Not for the first time Fiora wondered at the way her little sister could always show such compassion, such empathy. Fiora didn't think of herself as mean or out of touch with her emotions but...she tended to look at people having problems and tell them to get over it. Krystal wanted to help them, Fiora wanted them move on.

"It's okay." Fiora reached out and took her sister's right hand. "I'm fine."

"You have that nightmare every night. You're not fine." Krystal shook her head.

"I'm as fine as I'm going to be," Fiora replied, a little frustration creeping into her voice.

"I can help," Krystal told her. "Chronic nightmares are not hard to cure, sis."

Fiora bit back the angry retort about Krystal always wanting to fix things for her that came immediately to mind. She just wanted to help. And she was a telepath. A strong one like her mother. Strong enough that she could heal a thousand traumas, even adjust the chemical imbalance of the brain that led to things like depression. But only if the person allowed her. "No sis. This is my pain. I need it. It makes me stronger."

To her surprise Krystal didn't argue. She nodded and then pulled her into a hug. Fiora returned it. "I would never take away your pain. Pain is good. We all need pain. But I can make the nightmares go away."

"And leave the pain?" Fiora squeezed her sister.

"Yes." Krystal pulled back. "But only if you want me to."

For a moment, Fiora was tempted. Then she shook her head. "No. Until we find them, I refuse to forget them. The nightmare is me remembering. I go the whole day and manage not to think about it. I owe them the night."

Krystal pursed her lips, then stepped back. "Alright. We should get breakfast. Are you ready?"

"I'll shower first," Fiora cocked her head in the direction of the shower room in the gym. "I'll meet you there."

"Okay." Krystal smiled and started to walk out.

Before she could leave, Fiora said, "Krystal. He has pain, doesn't he?"

Krystal stopped and turned around. "He does. As much as you or I."

"You know he'll never want to lose it, right?" Fiora said.

To her surprise, Krystal smiled and said, "I know. It's why I love him."

Fiora smiled back. "That's not what you would have said three years ago."

"A lot has changed." Krystal's smile faded. "I know what pain is worth now. Go shower sis, and I'll meet you for breakfast."

With that, Krystal left the room, and Fiora headed for the showers, feeling content and happy, all thoughts of failure erased from her mind. Krystal had changed. So had she. Yet despite the circumstances, Fiora knew they had both changed for the better. And that? That gave her hope.

()()()()

Fox gripped the next handhold on the cliff face and pulled himself up. A cool breeze ruffled his fur, providing some relief from the heat of his exertion. Nestling himself in a large nook in the rock, he looked out on the view around him. A beautiful afternoon on Corneria, blue sky, no clouds, and green, verdant forest beneath him. He resumed climbing.

Many years ago, when he'd been only five years old, his parents had taken him on a camping trip to these very mountains on Corneria. They'd set up camp, and his mother, Vixy, had gone rock climbing. His father, James, had stayed at camp with little Fox, roasting him marshmallows over the fire despite it being the middle of the afternoon, and trying to hide the fact that he was worried about his wife.

They'd watched through a pair of electrobinoculars as Vixy had climbed the mountain face, slowly but steadily, doing everything by the book. James had muttered something about playing games with life and the fact that gravity was not a gentle mistress. He'd nearly had a stroke when Vixy paused, looked in the general direction of their campsite, and took a hand off the rock to wave. Fox hadn't thought much of it, too young to understand that if his mother fell she'd be paste. He'd simply waved back and jumped up and down excitedly.

Two hours later and Vixy Reinard McCloud had been at the top of the mountain, triumphant, and snapping pictures on her camera. She had rejoined them later that evening, and Fox had laughed and giggled his way through a number of jokes relating to the by products of the beans they'd eaten for dinner, before falling asleep in his mother's arms.

Fox sighed, happy at the memory. He'd made his peace with their loss. He'd never get them back. He'd never spend another night in the forest on Corneria, listening to his father's terrible jokes, or his mother's bedtime stories. He'd never be innocently confused when his dad said something his mom thought was funny, but that just didn't make sense to a young kit. He'd never stick his tongue out in disgust when his mother would kiss his father, or his father would give her a little slap on the rump. He'd never have any of that again. But as he'd gotten older, he'd let his longing to have it back go, and had instead taken comfort in the fact that, at least for a brief time, he had had it to begin with.

That didn't mean he didn't hurt. His mother and father's loss had left an aching void in his heart. One that he'd never been able to fill. One he knew he never would be able to fill. Once, he mused as he approached the top of the cliff, he'd thought revenge would make that pain go away. That the death of Andross, and the scouring of every monument to that deranged tyrant in Lylat, would somehow leave him feeling whole again. It never had. Vengeance was nothing. Vengeance was a delusion. It meant nothing in the end. Only the good one did had any meaning. Fox realized that now. And so, when his pain became too much to bear, he went out and did what he could to help the people in his life. He helped Slippy with repairs. He delved into cartography and obscure history with Peppy. He sat through Falco's self aggrandizing stories about the time he'd had these two girls at once, because he knew no one else did, and that, obscene as it was, Falco just needed someone to listen to him every now and then. Doing that made him feel better. And it made him feel like more of a person, rather than the vengeful demon the Venomians thought of him as, or the death defying hero he was hailed as on Corneria.

Fox reached the top of the cliff. He pulled himself over it and looked out at the forest. Canderlight Nature Preserve, one of the great pine forests south of Corneria City. It had been his mother's favorite camping spot. According to his father, she'd read him memoirs by the explorers who discovered it when Fox was a baby. It always managed to put him right to sleep.

Reaching into the pocket of his jacket Fox pulled out a slightly crumpled photo. It was his mother, and in the background, the very same vista he saw in front of him. He smiled, always amused at the way his mother had taken selfies with an actual camera, with actual film, rather than her phone. Just another odd little thing about her he wished he could ask her about. Planting a kiss on his mother's nose, Fox said, "Love you, mom."

He stood there for a few minutes, taking in the view. Then, behind him, the sound of hydraulics interrupted the peaceful expanse. He turned and saw the door that led off of the training holodeck open, and Krystal walk in. "ROB said I could find you here."

Fox smiled and motioned for her to join him. She did so. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah. My mom always thought so." Fox looked over at her and said, "What's up?"

Krystal sighed. "Slippy wants to see you. You weren't answering your comm."

"Yeah. I keep it turned off when I'm here." Fox shrugged. "Sometimes I need a little time to myself."

Krystal laughed. "As a telepath, believe me when I say I understand the need for solitude."

Fox chuckled back. "I can only imagine." He led the way off the holodeck, pausing by the controls to terminate the program. The room, generally used for training, though it also contained a number of recreational environments like Canderlight, returned to its normal black and gold grid pattern, before the doors shut. "I take it he has something?"

They entered the lift on the deck and Krystal tapped the control for the bridge. "He looked a bit...frustrated."

"Hmm." Fox frowned. Slippy had been trying to crack the encryption on the data they'd recovered from Papetoon for roughly twenty-four hours now. Fox knew the toad had gotten very little sleep during the process. "I wonder if he's throwing in the towel."

"Judging by what he said to Falco, I'd say you're probably right," Krystal replied.

"What did he..." The doors swished open and Fox looked out on the bridge. Falco was hiding behind a chair, and Slippy was throwing pencils from a box at the avian.

"...maybe you'd like to get a pencil and paper and help with the math instead of asking me why it's taking so long!" Slippy yelled at the avian. Fox looked over at Peppy, who was shaking his head and covering his ears. The hare looked about ready to turn the _Great Fox_ 's main guns on the pair of them.

Moving boldly into the fray, Fox held up his hands and said, "Whoa, whoa. That's enough. Cut it out."

Slippy stopped, though he still had a pencil cocked and ready in his hand. Falco peeked over the chair, then ducked down with a squawk when another pencil flew at him. Fox growled and marched over to Slippy, yanking the pencil box away from him and setting it down on the control console. Without another word he turned and stalked over to Falco, grabbing him by one of his stupid shoulder pads and hauling him into an upright position. "Cool it. Both of you," he barked.

"He started it," Falco said, crossing his arms and looking like a petulant chick.

"Falco..." Fox pinched the bridge of his muzzle.

"He wouldn't stop asking me when it would be done," Slippy complained. "Every five minutes, 'are you almost done', 'how much longer until you're done', 'why is it taking so long'."

Fox groaned. "My team is full of infants."

"Ahem."

Fox turned and saw Krystal arching an eyebrow at him, her arms crossed below the bust of her purple jumpsuit. He gulped. She looked good in that. The way it was just a tad bit lower cut than was regulation... "Um, what I mean is, that, um, they're the idiots."

"Better." Krystal uncrossed her arms and lowered her eyebrow.

Fox turned back on his two idiot teammates, and said, "Slippy, Krystal says you sent her to get me. Is there progress?"

With a grunt and a look of sour defeat, Slippy said, "I can't crack this."

"Why didn't you say that then?" Falco said, waving his arms in the air. "You coulda just said that and then I never would have bothered ya."

Fox stepped between Falco and Slippy when he saw the amphibian start reaching for the pencils again. "Falco, shut it. Slippy, what are our options?"

The toad took a calming breath and contemplated the question for a moment. "With encryption this intense, I can think of only one person who could break it in a timely manner."

"Who?" Fox asked.

"I think you can guess," Slippy replied, being surprisingly coy.

Fox was about to press him for a name when he realized who Slippy must have been referring to. A smile curled his muzzle as he turned back to Falco. Falco took one look at his expression, and then put two and two together. "Oh no."

"Falco?"

"Please no."

Fox tried to hide how much delight he was taking in this. He was fairly certain he didn't succeed. "I'm gonna need you to make a call."

* * *

A/N: Who ya gonna call? Wow, that joke is just...so out of date. Anyway, Star Fox is gonna need to call in some help from an old friend. Who? Well I'm sure we'll find out in the next chapter, but it sounds like Falco knows whoever it is pretty well.

As always, a massive thank you to all of you who have been reading and reviewing, I love seeing your guys thoughts on the story thus far! I'll see you guys in the next one, until then...

-furfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurufurufufur


	12. Rigged Payment Options

Chapter 12

Rigged Payment Options

Krystal hopped down from her Arwing and onto the landing pad on Zoness. She looked around and breathed in the cool, salt smelling ocean air. Off in the distance she could see a tiny sliver of land with a bustling city on it. If she looked behind her though there was nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see.

The place they had landed on was an old industrial cargo rig on the outskirts of Placidia City's ocean port. Outlying because, at one time, it had been used to load dangerous chemicals and explosives, which the city council had, understandably, not wanted anywhere near the inhabited areas of the coast. Its distance however had been both a blessing a curse. The owners had been forced to sell it within a few months after the Lylat Wars, and move their operation into orbit. The cost had been too high.

That being said, considering the high cost of the operation, it had been difficult to find a legitimate buyer. Or at least one who wanted to use it for its intended purpose. Looking around at the Rig's hot pink exterior, and the swirling pink cursive K's everywhere, Krystal surmised that the owner had things in mind other than dangerous cargo.

Next to her, Falco groaned as he looked around at the place. "Pink. She had to paint the whole damn thing pink, didn't she?"

"It is her signature color," Fox replied, trying to hide his amusement at the avian's discomfort. Slippy wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Who is she?" Fiora asked.

"The Lylat System's wealthiest freelance programmer," Slippy answered, looking quite at home in the humid, tropical, air. Krystal liked it too.

"Clearly," Fiora said, motioning towards the Rig, with its metal surfaces and boxy compartments. "After all, why wouldn't a wealthy person want to live...here."

Krystal laughed. "Oh, she has other places. Her penthouse in Corneria City rivals Fara's."

"Something she never lets Fara forget." Fox chuckled, then pointed towards a pink quadcopter approaching them. "Hey Pinky!"

The quadcopter angled for Fox and beeped and booped at him, projecting a tiny screen with a translation in front of it. "Does she always make her clients walk that far?" Fox asked, shaking his head.

Pinky made a rude noise, then flitted off, obviously intending for them to follow it. "Come on gang, best not to keep the lady waiting," Fox said.

Krystal followed as they made their way across the Rig. She glanced at the labels for the various compartments, noting server rooms, computer rooms, and a few that were marked as private and/or restricted.

"I take it you know her, sister?" Fiora asked.

Krystal nodded. "She was one of my first really good friends on Corneria. She and Fara helped me adjust to the culture and way of life almost as much as Fox."

"Is she nice?"

Krystal chuckled. "Depends."

"On what?" Fiora cocked her head.

"Whether or not your name is Falco."

A few minutes later they made it to the other end of the Rig where an elevator sat waiting. They stepped in and Pinky got it moving, the elevator rattling and shaking as it ascended. "Are we sure this thing is rated for all of us?" Krystal asked, a bit nervous about the condition of the lift.

Falco grunted and looked at Pinky. "She still not willing to spend money on basic repairs?"

Pinky flashed a bright pink light in Falco's eyes, and then made a series of rude and defensive boops and trills. Falco cursed and swatted at the quadcopter, which dodged nimbly out of the way.

The lift ground to a halt and the metal doors opened on a brightly lit corridor with a single door at the end. Pinky once again led the way, followed by Star Fox. Pinky paused at the door and extended a manipulator arm to tap in a code before the door opened. Krystal walked inside and had to hold back an audible gasp at the furnishings. Pink leather couches and chairs, a hardwood floor, and soft, mellow lighting. A desk sat at one end of the room, with a high backed leather chair, and a window looking out on the coastline behind it. A far cry from the utilitarian exterior of the base. The chair was facing away from them, and Pinky hovered over to it and beeped something. A soft voice replied, and then the chair swiveled around to reveal a pink feline, with long, platinum blonde hair, and a figure that even Krystal found herself envious of. "Hi guys."

"Katt." Fox nodded. "Is there a reason you only have one elevator working on the Rig?"

Katt Monroe, pilot, mercenary, and hacker extraordinaire, put her feet up on her desk and leaned back in her chair. She crossed her arms and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "It reaches every floor. I only need one. Come on Foxy, you could use the exercise."

"I get plenty of exercise, thank you very much," Fox replied.

"Hi Krystal." Katt looked at the blue vixen and smiled wide. "How are you enjoying being on the team?"

Krystal smiled back, feeling more at ease in the feline's presence than most people managed to be. "Quite a bit, thanks. Though we are here on business."

"Uh huh. Birdie said something about you needing some data decrypted." Katt took her legs off the desk and leaned forward. Pinky hovered behind her, like a pet watching over its master when suspicious guests were around. "He also told me you need it done fast."

"Yes." Fox stepped forward a bit. "This is top priority. Threat to Lylat level."

"Andross style?" Katt asked, arching an eyebrow and resting her head on her fists.

"Potentially," Fox told her.

Katt looked considerate for a moment, and Pinky trained his main photoreceptor on her. Straightening up Katt said, "Well, I don't work for free, but I'd be happy to help you."

Fox frowned, and Krystal sensed his trepidation. Whatever price Katt named, it likely wouldn't be cheap. "How much?"

Katt named a figure, and the whole room gasped collectively, except Falco. "What? I assume big ears is paying your expenses. Consider this an expense."

Fox bit his lip, and Krystal sensed him holding back a stream of invective concerning the way Katt was trying to strong arm her way into a small fortune. "Katt...you know Fara. Do you really think she'll agree to pay that much for anything?"

Katt shrugged. "Not my problem. I'm not the one filing the expense report. You'll just have to convince her."

"Katt..." Fox tried again. "This is important. This is life or death. Gimme a break, huh?"

Katt shook her head. "It's life or death? Fox, everything you've ever brought to me has been life or death. If it's that important, I expect ample compensation."

Krystal exchanged glances with Fiora, and saw that her sister was picking up on it too. Katt was looking and speaking at Fox, but her real intention and motivation was elsewhere. The blue vixen looked over at Falco and saw him balling his fists at his sides.

Fox was about to try again when Falco stepped forward and said, "Hey, boss, lemme handle this, huh?"

"You sure, Falco?" Fox asked.

"Yeah. Can you gimme the room?" he said to Fox, though his eyes were trained on Katt's. Katt stared back with equal intensity.

For a moment it looked like Fox was going to protest, but Krystal took him by the arm and said, "Come on, we can give them some privacy." She leaned in to Fox and whispered, "Trust him, just this once."

The male vulpine grimaced, but then nodded and said, "Come on guys."

They stepped out of the room and the door shut behind them. Krystal leaned against the wall and did her best to keep from intruding on the pink feline and blue avian telepathically. Next to her, Fiora said, "I take it they have a history?"

Slippy snickered, and Fox replied, "Yeah, a little bit. They've been on and off together for as long as I've known them. I stopped trying to keep track of their relationship status years ago."

"On and off?" Fiora looked confused.

Krystal smiled and said, "Lylatians have rather different conceptions of mating, sister."

"Oh." Fiora thought for a moment. "I suppose when a telepathic bond is out of the question, you don't worry as much about making the right choice."

Fox shrugged and exchanged a glance with Krystal. "Some of us do."

"Of course." Fiora nodded, then cracked a smile. "After all, if I thought you were taking advantage of my sister, you'd be dead already." Fiora laughed uproariously at her own joke, and didn't seem to notice Fox and Slippy's look of fear, or Krystal's eye roll. She calmed down and looked between them. "What?"

"You're scary sis, you know that?" Krystal replied.

"Good. Someone has to keep the cloying masses of suitors away from you," Fiora replied, wrapping an arm around Krystal and planting a kiss on her cheek. Krystal blushed and shoved her away, hiding a smile. "So, are they a good match? Katt and Falco?"

Before anyone could answer muffled sounds of yelling and screaming came through the door, followed by the crackle of what sounded like a stun gun being brought into ready mode. All eyes turned toward the door, and ears cupped forward. Once again, Krystal refrained from using her telepathy, not wanting to intrude on their privacy.

"Was that a stun gun?" Fiora asked.

"That'd be Pinky." Slippy grinned. "I heard that the first time they tried to, you know, do it, after she built Pinky, the little quadcopter came after him with a stun gun when he thought he was attacking her."

"I'm not sure who I feel more sorry for," Fox mused. "Falco for getting chased around by a quadcopter in nothing but his feathers, or Pinky for having that image saved in his memory files."

More yelling, followed by the sound of objects falling off of a desk. Then a brief series of moans, followed by silence. Everyone stood staring at the door, horrified and transfixed by the various scenarios for what might be going on in Katt's office. Footsteps sounded, and then the door opened. Falco stuck his head out and said, "She says she'll start working on the decryption in an hour. Pinky is gonna get her system ready."

"Okay." Fox looked relieved, but only a bit. Pinky hovered over Falco's head and made a series of disgruntled noises as he whirred off towards Katt's computer room. "How much is this costing?"

"She says she'll put it on the bill the next time Fara hires her for a security check," Falco replied. "With how much Fara pays through the nose for those things, I doubt she'll notice."

"Alright, fair enough. Anything else?" Fox asked.

"Nah. We're all good. See you in an hour." Falco ducked back inside the room and the door hissed shut behind him, locking itself with an audible click.

"Why is he staying with her?" Slippy asked.

"I think it might have something to do with the lipstick on his beak," Krystal answered, trying not to feel nauseated. What Katt saw in Falco she would never know. But then the feline did enjoy being mysterious, and so it followed that her love life would be equally so. Taking Fox's hand she pulled him down the corridor towards the elevator. "Come on, we should give them some privacy."

"Right." Fox shook his head. "I'll call Peppy and let him know what's happening."

"Not in any great detail I hope?" Krystal said.

"Some things are better left unsaid." Fox grimaced. "And unimagined."

* * *

A/N Ah the joys and horrors of the second OTP: Falco/Katt.

A shorter chapter this update, but with a cool character introduction. If you're wondering where in the world hacker Katt and her sassy quadcopter came from go read Katt's Got Your Tongue by my good buddy Groundis! It was all his idea, and I have glommed onto it with his permission :)

In response to an anon reviewer's question, and in case anyone else was wondering the same, I'd like to address Cerinian mental powers briefly. So, Krystal is telepathic but not telekinetic. Fiora is both, though her telekinesis is far more powerful than her telepathy. In a battle of telepathy Krystal would stomp her sister without breaking a sweat. Basically, Cerinians can have one power, either telepathy or telekinesis, or they can have both, it all depends on the genes that are active vs recessive. Also, the fact that not all Cerinians are telepaths helps explain why they have a spoken language! I hope that makes sense, and I want to thank all of my reviewers for what you do, and all my followers and favoriters for what you do, which is read the fic! I appreciate it very, very much :D

I'll see you guys in the next update, just as soon as I manage to pry Falco and Katt apart! Pinky can help. Pinky is good at that...

-fufrufrufurfurfurfurfurufrfufurufurufutrufuur


	13. Kelba 7

Chapter 13

Kelba 7

Falco sat in the computer room, flipping through his phone, and stealing glances at the pink feline as she worked on one of her consoles. The room was dim, with the only light coming from the computer screens themselves. Outside, Lylat and Solar had set for the night, and out here, with the nothing but ocean around them for miles, the stars were out in their millions. Falco wished he could be out there with her, looking up at them and trying to pretend like he didn't think she looked gorgeous in the starlight. Instead, he was cooped up in here, on a ratty couch, watching her type and mutter under her breath about math and cryptology, both things that went completely over his head. He liked that about her. He'd never admit it, but he thought the way she was all smart was pretty hot. Of course, her body was also an A+. _Smart and beautiful. Ain't that supposed to be the perfect combination?_

To his left, standing watch over Katt, was Pinky. The little quadcopter was helping her with the decryption, checking her math even as she did it. Falco hated that little thing. It was always in the way, hovering around, and making noises at him. Katt loved it though, and he knew that, sometimes, Pinky was all the company Katt had for long stretches when she was on missions. Thus far the little robot hadn't gotten her killed, so Falco could at least be grateful that she had something watching her back.

Resting his head on the armrest of the couch, Falco thought back to the hour they'd spent in her office earlier in the day. The way she'd clung to him, whispering sweet nothings as he pressed her against the desk. The smell of her sweat. The feeling of her...

"Brap bap bap!"

Falco started and rolled off the couch, entering a defensive crouch at the sudden noise and appearance of his nemesis, the infernal Pinky. "What? What'd I do?"

Katt, not looking up from where she was working, said, "You were making little moaning noises, hon. Pinky doesn't want anything distracting me."

"Well, Pinky can go..."

"I don't want anyone distracting me," Katt added, glancing back at him. "Why don't you go stretch your legs, huh?"

Falco stood up and relaxed his tense muscles a bit. He glared at Pinky. "You almost done?"

"Maybe." Katt stood up and stretched her arms above her head, then sauntered over to him. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the beak. Not for the first time in his life, Falco yearned for the ability to return the gesture. Nature had cursed him with the wrong facial structure for kissing, however. "Come back in a little while, and maybe I'll give you some more of my sweet, sweet, sugar."

Falco smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest. She melted against him, the way he always liked, and he said, "I was thinking more about some of that sweet honey."

Katt laughed and breathed in his scent. "You're a perv."

"You like that about me, though." Falco's hands roved down to cup her rear. "You sure you don't want to do it right now?"

"Yes." Katt pulled away from him, though she dragged a finger, claw extended, down his chest. "I need to get this done, and I can't have you distracting me."

For a moment the two of them simply stared at each other. Falco reached out and cupped a hand against her cheek, then pulled it back with a grunt. "Yeah. Whatever. I'll go see what the orange furball is doing."

He headed for the door. Behind him, Katt huffed. "Jerk."

Falco ignored her and walked out into the cool ocean air. The door shut behind him and he headed for one of the railings to look down at the dark water beneath them. It frothed against the Rig's support beams, and Falco lost himself in the sounds and smells of the ocean. He missed Zoness. It had been his home as a kid, before he moved to Corneria. It had been Katt's home too. He remembered when he'd moved out of his house and his neighborhood, the way Katt had tried to hide in the luggage to come with him. It brought a smile to his face. He'd missed her like hell for the three years they'd been apart before she and her mother made the move. Good ol' Meryl. Katt had never known her father, but her mother was the world to her. And, after his own parents had died in a car crash, she'd been about the only family he could rely on. "Shit."

"Problems?"

Falco looked next to him and saw Fox. "Huh? It's nothing."

"Sure." Fox leaned against the railing with him. "You and Katt seem to be getting along nice and well."

"Yeah." Falco felt all his armor coming back up. It was a relief. He hated the way Katt made him feel. The way she could make him feel all vulnerable and emotional. He hated that shit. "Yeah, well, she doesn't just want this D, she needs it."

Fox rolled his eyes and made a dyspeptic face. "Sure Falco."

"Hey, I got you a sweet deal with it, didn't I?" Falco replied.

"Only until Fara figures out what she did," Fox answered, crossing his arms.

Falco shrugged. "Hey, come on, fate of the galaxy, remember Foxy?"

"I'm just not sure how I feel about the way we got that deal." Fox sighed.

Falco rolled his eyes and put a hand on Fox's shoulder. "Look where I'm pointing Fox." He pointed to a distant star in the sky. Fox followed his finger. "That star right there?"

"What about it?"

"That's the one with the planet full of people who give a damn about that sort of thing," Falco replied, proud of himself for his little...metaphor? Metaphor worked. Whatever it meant.

Fox didn't seem that impressed. Then again, Fox never seemed impressed with him, which baffled Falco. How could anyone not be impressed? He was the best pilot in Lylat, he smelled good, he got lucky everywhere he went, he could even fly in space while wearing sunglasses. _Oh well. No one ever said Foxy had taste._

"You're a real asshole, you know that, right?" Fox said, shrugging him off and looking back down at the ocean.

Falco let that one slide right off his shoulders. "Someone's in a mood."

"I'm fine." Fox sighed, then hung his head for a moment. When he straightened back up he stretched and yawned. "I'm gonna go get some sleep."

"Have fun with that."

"What about you?" Fox asked.

"I'm not tired." Falco shook his head, then glanced back in the direction of Katt's computer room.

Fox must have noticed, because he nodded in understanding. "You won't sleep until she does."

"That's got nothin' to do with it," Falco groused. "You go have fun sleeping. I'll be fine."

Falco turned and walked off, not sparing another glance for Fox. Everyone was trying to get under his feathers it seemed like. It always happened when Katt was around. He shook his head. He had to stop thinking about her. He had to stop thinking about her supple curves, her sweet smelling perfume. He had to stop thinking about her arms and legs wrapped around him. Stop thinking about the way she held him gently and tightly when they cuddled. Stop thinking about all those nights at the Academy, staying up late and watching movies, him on the floor, her on the couch, with her feet dangling against his chest. The way she would giggle when he'd tickle her toes. He had to stop thinking about all of that. He had to stop thinking about it, because it always led to one, inevitable conclusion for him. And the last thing he wanted to think about was _that_.

()()()()

Fox woke up the next morning in a strange bed, in a strange place, and hearing strange sounds. Water lapping beneath him. Around him. He smelled salt through the window. Window? Was the window open? His eyes crept open, and a sunbeam hit him square in the face. "Ahh. Dammit." He brought the pillow up in a defensive position, blocking the beam of light and managing to avoid permanent eye damage. He opened his eyes again and saw the cursive K on the pillowcase, and then noticed the pink covers. "Oh. That's right."

Getting out of bed Fox stretched and cracked his neck, then reached for the change of clothes from his Arwing go bag. A knock came at the door. "Come in!" he called.

The door slid open and Krystal walked in, looking bright and chipper, especially for so early in the morning. "Morning Fox."

"Hey! You're looking alert for six in the morning." Fox smiled at her and wrapped her in a hug which she returned. Their tails wagged, and they snuffled in each other's coats, taking each other's scent for the morning.

"It's not six o'clock." Krystal pulled back and grinned at him. "It's actually not even morning."

"What now?" Fox cocked his head, curious, and wondered where this joke was going.

"It is 12:01 in the afternoon," Krystal said. "On a Wednesday, and we are in the middle of an early autumn here on Zoness."

It all came back to him, but one thing still didn't make sense. "What do you mean it's past noon?"

Krystal laughed and reached for his wrist comm. She tapped the wake button on it and showed him the clock. Fox smiled and looked down at it, then nearly screamed. "It's 12:02!"

"Mmhmm. You slept in." Krystal wagged her tail and kissed him on the cheek. "We all did. I only woke up an hour ago. Fiora woke up two hours before that, she always wakes up early to go running, and then I think Slippy is still asleep."

"You're kidding." Fox shook his head in disbelief. The last time he had slept until noon, he'd been in high school. He stared at the clock on his wrist comm, then flinched as it changed to 12:03. "This is insane. Sleeping in is eight o'clock. Noon is...unnatural."

"Hmm." Krystal tapped her chin, considering the conundrum of Fox waking at an unnatural hour. "I suppose all that early rising means you've been needing a good sleep for years. How long has it been since you woke up without your alarm clock?"

"I'm not sure." Fox sighed and set his wrist comm down, then reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head. "I better go see Katt. See if she's made any progress."

Fox was halfway out the door when Krystal cleared her throat. He stopped and turned in her direction. She pointed to his lower half, and Fox looked down, then yipped and dashed back into the room. "I forgot my pants."

"At least you sleep in your underwear." Krystal laughed and perched on his bed to watch him get dressed.

Pulling up and buckling his pants, Fox said, "Of course I do. You wear PJs?"

"No."

"Underwear then?" Fox asked, turning to face her with a smile.

"Nope." Krystal shook her head, trying to contain a smile.

Fox blushed as he put two and two together. "Oh. Wow."

"Mmm." Krystal stood up and said, "I'll give you some privacy to shower."

"Shower?" Fox groaned. "I forgot to shower. I got dressed before I showered."

"It's alright. You're not used to letting your body sleep as long as it likes," Krystal told him. "I'll meet you down at the dining room. Katt's cooking robot rustled up some eggs for us."

"Right. I'll see you down there." Fox sighed as the door slid shut behind her, then started undressing. Setting his clothes in a neat pile on his bed he stepped into the bathroom in the quarters Pinky had assigned him, and was about to get the water running when his comm unit beeped. "Figures." He walked back over to it and stabbed the respond button. "Fox here."

"Fox. It's Katt. I'm in."

Fox's muzzle split in a grin. "I'll be right there."

()()()()

A few minutes later and the entire Star Fox team was gathered in Katt's computer room. The pink feline smiled at them from her chair, Pinky flying circuits around the room, humming to itself in satisfaction. Fox liked Pinky. The robot had a lot of personality, and it kept Falco on his toes, which earned it bonus points in Fox's mind. The avian was sitting on the arm of the room's couch, arms crossed, and looking like he hadn't slept a wink the night before.

"So," Katt said. "It took me all night and the whole morning but, I finally cracked it. This is some powerful stuff. In fact, this is probably the deepest, most complicated encryption scheme I've seen in years." She looked at Fox. "But, you paid for the best. Or, at least, Fara is going to, because I'm feeling generous."

"Something for which I'm eternally, but not limitlessly, grateful," Fox replied, careful to add the last bit. He'd always be thankful for Katt's help, but he wasn't about to do her favors for the rest of his life. Not for the first time since coming here he found himself musing about how to get her on the payroll in the back of his mind.

"I'm sure you are Foxy. Most of the data has been scrambled, but I've located two things that should be of interest to you. The first is a log entry. The last one to be recorded by the system." Katt swiveled in her chair and tapped the play button. Pinky immediately stopped humming and came to hover in front of the screen, but not before buzzing Falco and sending the bird into a squawking crouch.

The screen was dark for a moment, then it flickered and the image of a familiar tiger appeared on the screen. "Dr. Ivan Yarus, personal log, date...oh who cares, it's time stamped for Emperor's sake." Ivan Yarus paused for a minute, took a breath, and then went on. "This will be my final log. Project Iron Fist is moving to a new location. I've been told by the Emperor himself that the war we've been planning for years now is about to begin. Venom is mobilizing its army, and James McCloud is dead."

Fox closed his eyes at that for a moment, letting the memory of that day pass through his mind. He didn't want to fight it. If he fought it, it would just make things worse. Suffice it to say, he knew the exact date this log had been made on now, with or without the time stamp. He opened his eyes and watched as Yarus continued.

"...I don't know what this means for Lylat. Contrary to what most Venomians think, I'm not sure if we'll win this war, lose it, or end up in a deadlock that will go on for years. But the Emperor is right, there can be no further delays. Corneria is weak. And with the death of James McCloud, we might have a chance. Either way, Project Iron Fist is all the more important now. We'll be moving to the secure facility at Station Kelba 7. I'll be closing shop here on Papetoon. Despite standard protocol I intend to leave the memory cores of this research outpost's logs intact, but heavily encrypted. I doubt anyone could break into them, and the information stored here will be an important record, when the glorious future our Emperor promises at last comes to pass. Hail Andross!"

The recording concluded and the room remained silent for a few moments, everyone absorbing what they'd just witnessed. Katt broke the silence. "Ivan Yarus. I almost didn't believe it when you told me that's who you were on the trail of." She turned and stood up, looking at Fox with a newfound respect. "What has he done that warrants Corneria's attention all of a sudden? What's Project Iron Fist?"

"I can't tell you." Fox shook his head, keeping back for the moment that this was the first time he'd heard the name 'Project Iron Fist.' "It's important, but classified."

"Bullshit. You've never used that excuse before." Katt crossed her arms, displeased.

Fox smiled and flicked his tail. "If you want to find out, you could always come with us."

Katt raised an eyebrow. "Is this another attempt to woo me onto the team?"

"Is it going to work?" Fox asked. He saw Krystal look at him with approval, while Falco displayed an expression of barely concealed apprehension.

Katt, on the other hand, actually looked like she was considering the offer. Fox had been trying to get her on the team since the Lylat Wars, when she'd saved their ass a number of times during the counterattack on Zoness, and the ambush at Sector Z. She was a skilled pilot, a competent ground fighter, and her skills with a computer were legendary. She'd programmed Star Fox's intranet systems, written every new line of code on the _Great Fox_. How she wasn't already on the team was beyond Fox.

"Deal."

The word dropped like an atomic bomb on the room. Krystal wagged her tail. Slippy jumped up and down in enthusiasm, no doubt pleased to get back to hardware and let someone else worry about software issues from here on out. Fiora smiled. Falco nearly keeled over.

"Conditionally."

"Of course." Fox shook his head. "There's always a but with you."

Katt laughed. "How well you know me Foxy-boy. I'm an independent contractor. I'll be a consultant for your team. But I don't want my name added to the roster, and I'm not flying an Arwing. Star Fox doesn't get free run of my bases, either, and you'll be paying me for any software you want me to write, though I'll give you a substantial discount. If you can meet these terms, I'm all yours."

Fox thought about it, though what was there to think about? He needed Katt for this mission. She'd already proved invaluable, and considering Yarus had been one of the foremost computer programmers and artificial intelligence experts of his time, he had no doubt they'd need her again. "Basically, you want the right to bum around my ship, collect payments, and all that, but you don't want any of the actual responsibility that comes with being a member of Star Fox."

"Yup." Katt nodded, her hair bouncing with the motion.

Fox pursed his lips, then said, "How much of a discount are you offering on software?"

"I was thinking twenty percent, but I can be flexible." Katt smiled, and Fox saw the way she was trying to look cute. It worked on Falco, though Fox had recently gained an immunity to other women's feminine wiles. Krystal was all he needed. Or wanted.

"Make it a standard thirty percent off on things like system maintenance and upgrades, with special jobs negotiable, and we have a deal. Oh, and you'll only be taking home fifty percent of the post-mission cash that I usually would allot you," Fox countered.

"You're a tough negotiator McCloud," Katt replied, batting her eyelashes at him one more time. Krystal growled warningly. The pink feline winked at her and backed off. "Agreed." She held out her hand. Fox took it, and once again remembered that despite her feminine figure, she had a rock hard grip.

With their latest team member, or in this case, independant consultant, signed on, Fox said, "What was the second thing you found?"

Katt smirked and went back to her computer. She leaned over and tapped a few buttons, and Fox glanced over to see Falco checking out the feline's rear. Pinky seemed to notice too, the little robot hovering down to block his view, and make soft, petulant noises to itself. The light in the room dimmed, and a ceiling mounted holoprojector clicked on, filling the room with an image of Lylat, and then of the local star cluster. It zoomed in on a point outside of Lylat, then flashed and displayed a wireframe diagram of a space station. It was shaped like a bowl, with a what looked like a city resting on top. Small, but probably still large enough for several thousand people to live in comfort. Next to it were small letters, but they spelled out a word that was like music to Fox's ears. He grinned. "Station Kelba 7."

* * *

A/N: The plot progresses! And also Falco and Katt are a really wonderful pairing that needs more love.

Below I've included a little blurb in response to some questions about Cerinians and their psionic powers. I hope it'll clear up any confusion! Cerinian psionics are always a bit tricky, trying to figure out how they work when we have literally no real life experience with them. It's a fun challenge though :)

Thank you to all of you who have been reviewing and leaving favs and follows, it is greatly appeciated. And also thank you to all those who have just been reading and enjoying! It all means the world to me. Now, let the update wait begin once more, haha.

 **From the ever fluid book of FurFur lore:** In the case of two telekinetic Cerinians falling in love, a mental bond like the kind telepaths have cannot be established. However, an object bond will be used in its place. The object bond is most commonly with a wedding ring. This allows the partners to be able to sense each other's whereabouts, just as two telepaths would. The object can also be infused with a telepathic focusing gem by a telepathic priestess or family member, allowing a limited psychic bond for simple telepathic sensation, such as mood sensing. Full thoughts and conversation cannot be achieved, but telekinetic couples often pride themselves in their ability to find ways of physical communication just as intimate and detailed.


	14. Mysterious Space Station

Chapter 14

Mysterious Space Station

The _Great Fox_ cruised out of Lylat, its massive plasma engines roaring in the vacuum of space as they propelled the ship to its top interstellar speed. Fox sat on the bridge in his captain's chair, enjoying the rumble the engines made in the hull. It had been a long time since they'd had reason to travel outside of the Lylat System, and Fox was looking forward to entering some unfamiliar territory, even if it was a region that Andross had sullied with one of his machines.

"Do you think he's there?" asked Fara Phoenix, her image displayed on the main screen.

"No way of knowing." Fox held up his hands in a noncommittal gesture. "His last log entry indicated that was where Project Iron Fist was being moved to. But that was more than ten years ago, at the beginning of the Lylat Wars. Given the way Andross's people scattered like rats when he died, I have a feeling he's moved on. It's the best lead we have though."

On the screen, Fara considered it, then said, "Project Iron Fist. Well, at least we know the name of what he was working on now. Miyu and I have been combing through the data you sent us from Papetoon."

"Have you found anything?" Fox asked.

"Not much." Fara sighed, the sound crackling in the ship's speakers. "Most of the data is irretrievable. Even most of the logs have been corrupted. Miyu thinks it probably had something to do with Slippy's attempt to gain access."

"Yeah." Fox frowned, his ears drooping a bit. "Katt made the same assessment."

"Katt? She's working on this?" Fara gave him a surprised look. "How did you afford her rates?"

"Um. Well..." Fox scratched the back of his neck, trying to his mask his anxiety. That wasn't a question he wanted to answer.

"Forget it, I'll pay for it." Fara sighed again. "I don't have to tell you to be careful, do I?"

"No." Fox shook his head. "You have any idea what Kelba 7 might be? Other than a space station built by Venom in the middle of galactic nowhere?"

"Not really." Fara glanced at something off camera for a moment, the focused back on him. "But if Andross built it, it's probably dangerous. Try not to blow it up though. I'm already hearing people gripe about the Papetoon research station being a total loss. There could be vital information there."

"Yeah. I'll do my best." Fox smiled. "No promises though."

"Uh huh." Fara rolled her eyes. "Anyone ever tell you that you're a blunt instrument?"

Fox crossed his arms and mock glared at her. "Now you're just hurting my feelings."

"Sure." Fara chuckled. "Look, I better go here. Miyu and I are going to be running another series of tests on that probe we found."

"Any idea what it is yet?"

"I'd tell you if I had the faintest idea." Fara growled, some of her frustration showing through. "It's inert. Completely. I don't think we'll be able to figure it out unless we turn it on."

Fox flicked his ears. "Something tells me that would be a bad idea."

"Probably. Find Yarus. If we can find him and foil whatever plan he has before he has a chance to execute it, I'll be happy to leave that probe a mystery," Fara said. "Good luck Fox. And tell Krys I say hi."

"Will do. I'll be in touch."

The transmission terminated and Fox leaned back in his seat. He glanced over at Peppy, who was working at the operations console. ROB was at the helm, dutifully piloting the ship, and managing the task of deep space navigation with his usual mechanical perfection. Earlier in the day he had spotted the robot talking with Pinky. The two of them seemed to get on surprisingly well. _Must be nice for the two of them, having another robot to talk to._

Standing up, Fox said to Peppy, "Can you watch over things here?"

Peppy gave him a thumbs up and replied, "Sure thing."

Fox nodded and headed off the bridge. It'd be a day before they reached Kebla 7, and he intended to make the most of the quiet. Stepping into the turbolift he pressed the button for the training deck and the lift kicked into motion, smooth and silent, unlike Katt's elevator at the Rig. It was a nice change from the way the _Great Fox_ had been only a couple of months ago. Rickety, held together with duct tape and spit, and relying on Slippy's free and ingenious maintenance. The ship's transformation was something Fox would never take for granted. He knew how bad things could get when there were more expenses than there were jobs.

With a ping the doors opened and Fox stepped onto the training deck. He thought about going to the holodeck to do some climbing, or maybe relax on an artificial beach front, but his legs ended up taking him to the gym. When he stepped inside he heard the sound of metal alloy clashing against metal alloy, and he turned his attention to the sparring section. His eyes widened at the sight of Krystal and Fiora, dueling with staff and sword. They moved with a fluidity and grace that Fox had rarely seen outside of choreographed demonstrations. They dodged, flanked, and parried with a speed and precision that came with years of training. Fiora's strikes were powerful and short, whereas Krystal's were full of sweeping motions that, despite having a longer arc than her sister's, displayed an equal economy of movement.

Fascinated, Fox went over and took a seat at the edge of the mat, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands. The two vixens continued to spar, their speed and intensity increasing until Fox could barely track their movements from one moment to the next. His eyes bounced back and forth between the blue blur and red blur, and twice he saw them land touches on each other. From his sparring with Krystal, he knew she preferred fast, three touch matches.

If it were possible, the two vixens began moving even faster, and Fox sensed that they were evenly matched as they tried to find a hole in the other's defenses. Finally, a minute later, the two of them both stopped dead. Fox's eyes widened. Krystal had the head of her staff at Fiora's throat, and Fiora had her blade against Krystal's inner thigh, right where the artery would be. They stared at each other for a moment, panting, sweat dripping from their brows, then pulled back, bowed, and laughed. "Tie game," Krystal noted.

"We were always getting those," Fiora replied, walking over to the bench and wiping her brow with a towel. "I wish..." She paused and turned to face Fox. "Oh. Hi Fox. How long have you been there?"

"Not long," Fox answered. "You two are impressive."

"Many long hours of training together," Krystal said, walking over to Fox and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I can tell." Fox nodded in approval. Then, curious, he asked, "What were you going to wish for, Fiora?"

Fiora's face was sad for a moment, but then she mustered a smile. "Our old sparring mats. Our old village." She took a breath, and Fox saw Krystal rest a hand on Fiora's shoulder. The blue vixen appeared equally sad at the mention of their lost home.

Fiora calmed herself and returned her gaze to Fox. "Sorry. Did you want to spar?"

Fox was about to say yes when another thought occurred to him. "Actually, I was thinking of going down to the lounge and taking a load off for awhile. Wanna come with? You could tell me stories about Cerinia."

The two sisters glanced at each other, and Fox sensed that words and thoughts were passing between them in private. Then Krystal said, "That sounds wonderful."

()()()()

Katt sat on the bed in her quarters aboard the _Great Fox_ , working on one of her computers. She'd been going over every bit of information Fox had been able to give her about the probe that had landed on Katina, trying to wrap her head around the massive advancement in Claytronics it indicated. It boggled her mind. The raw computing power that would be needed to create such a thing...it was still beyond Lylatian technology, which meant either Yarus had invented a supercomputer to end all supercomputers, or he had a found a way around the massive computing needs required.

Her door whooshed open and she looked up to see Pinky hover into the room. The little quadcopter stopped in front of her and trilled a question at her. "I don't know. A few hours?" Pinky let out a series of concerned beeps. "I'm not avoiding him." A disbelieving blat. "I thought you hated him anyway." Pinky's response had the uncommon fortune of shaking her. "No. You're right. I don't hate him. You really think I should go see him?" Pinky chirped happily and bobbed up and down indicating a yes. "Alright. Fine. I'm not getting anywhere with this anyway."

Katt stood up and headed for the door. Pinky bleated in distress before she could hit the open button. "What?"

Pinky whirred over to her dresser, extended a manipulator arm, and pulled out some clothes for her. Katt looked down at herself, realizing she'd been working in her underwear. She thought about it for a moment, then decided it didn't really matter. "Leave 'em. He's only two doors down. And he won't mind." Pinky moaned in defeat, then settled on top of her dresser and put himself in standby mode. Katt shook her head. She might have programmed him, but Pinky had a personality that continued to surprise her. _A testament to emergent behavior._

Walking out of her room she headed for Falco's door, moving as quickly as possible. She didn't want anyone to see her. Maybe she should have bothered with some clothes. She tapped the door chime and waited for a response. None came. She tapped the chime again. Still no response. With a grunt she opened the door and walked in. She almost walked right back out. Falco's room was a mess. Laundry was piled in one corner, magazines were strewn all over the floor, and the bed was completely unmade. "Falco! You in here?"

For a moment there was no response, then the bathroom door opened and he said, "Hey, could you give a guy like, five seconds to pee before you walk in here?"

"Oh. Sorry." Katt frowned, then went over and sat on his couch. She picked up one of the magazines and opened it to a random page. She got a face full of an indecent pin up model. Feline. That made her smirk. He really did have a thing for her species. "Porn rags? Seriously Falco? There's the internet for that now."

Falco walked out of the bathroom and sat down next to her. "Yeah, well, I don't need ROB knowing my internet history."

"Fair enough." Katt didn't mention that, had he been using the ship's intranet to connect to the Lylatian interplanetary network, she would have been able to find his search history with the press of a button. No need to scare him that much yet. "Did you wash your hands?"

"Huh. Oh." Falco walked back into the bathroom, and Katt heard the sound of a faucet running.

"Use soap!" she called after him.

"Yeah, yeah." He emerged again a moment later, shaking water from his feathered hands. She looked at those big hands for a moment, remembering how soft the downy, miniscule feathers felt. The way they tickled a little when he... _Don't think about that._ "There a reason you're in your underwear? Not that I mind seeing those tits."

Katt rolled her eyes and stretched out on his couch, then arched her back in a stretch, purring at the way her bones popped. "I was working."

"In your underwear?"

"I can do more damage in my underwear in an hour than you could do in a day with your Arwing," Katt replied.

"Huh. Programmers." Falco sat down next to her again and picked up the magazine she'd been looking at. Glancing at the model, he said, "She's pretty fine. I oughta look her up."

Katt glared at him. "Oh?"

"What? Not like we're together all of a sudden." Falco shrugged and leaned back, flipping through to another page.

"Not together?" Katt felt any good humor she'd been feeling towards the avian start to evaporate. "What do you call what we were doing in my office yesterday?"

"I don't know. Fun?" Falco didn't even glance at her from his magazine.

Katt's eyes widened, and she hissed to get his attention. He jerked his head away from whatever had been mesmerizing him and looked at her with that widened beak that told her she had caught him unawares. "Falco." She stood up and then stared down at him. It was about the only time she could be taller than him. "I don't just screw around. I'm not a cheap magazine whore." Katt ripped the magazine away from him and flung it across the room. "And I sure as hell didn't agree to join this mission out of the goodness of my heart."

"Um. Why then?" Falco looked up at her, confusion on his face.

Katt sighed. Did they always have to do this dance? She was getting sick of it already. "Falco. Did it ever occur to you that I might want to spend some time with you?"

Falco shrugged. "Who doesn't want to spend time with me?"

"Ugh." Katt craned her neck to look at the ceiling, then replied, "You have no idea how lucky you are, do you?" She gazed back down at him. She hated this. The way he made her feel. It was like knots all through her body, twisting and turning and tightening. Every moment she spent with him she found him more and more irresistible, and every moment she spent away from him started to feel like agony when she realized how far away he really was. And yet there was an equal part of her that wanted to slap him across the face and walk away forever. He could be such a jerk. He was insensitive. He was stupid. He was...perfect. "This isn't going to work, is it?"

"What?"

"Us." Katt turned to leave, her tail flicking behind her as she headed for the door. Then she felt his fingers wrap around it. She turned immediately. "What?"

He stood up and walked over to her, then passed her. He locked the door before turning to her. He held out his arms and said, "Um. I'm a pretty lucky guy."

Everything changed in an instant. All her anger and frustration and hurt went flying out the window. She surged forward and wrapped her arms around him, breathing in the scent of his body spray like a drug. She kissed the underside of his beak, purring as his strong arms wrapped around her. Part of her wasn't sure if this was healthy. She knew this probably wouldn't last. He'd be good for awhile, then he'd be back to being the same old Falco. But right now she didn't care. Instead, she hugged him close, and made the same promise to herself that she made every time he showed a little bit of self awareness. _This time, I'm going to make it work._

()()()()

The _Great Fox_ began spinning down its engines as it approached space station Kelba 7. Krystal sat in her Arwing, running through her checklist, and listening to ROB countdown the time until launch. She, Fox, Slippy, and Katt were headed over to board the station, while Falco and Fiora would fly a patrol pattern with the mothership to make sure no one interrupted them.

Fox's voice sounded over the comm. "Alright people, let's play this by the book. And by the audiobook in Falco's case."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Falco squawked back, indignant.

"If you read a book you would know," Fox retorted.

"Eh. Books are for losers." Krystal could hear the shrug in his voice, even if she couldn't see it.

"Yup. That sounds about right." Fox continued, "We don't have much intel about Kelba 7, but ROB has managed to locate what he believes to be their command center. We're gonna get in there, find the data we need on Project Iron Fist and Ivan Yarus's location, then we'll head back to Corneria and plan our next move."

"Plan our next move?" Falco again. "What happened to just goin' and doin' it?"

"Our current employer is more cautious than that," Fox replied.

"You mean Fara's a control freak and she doesn't want you doing anything without her permission," Falco responded.

"Pretty much," Fox agreed. "But she pays well."

Krystal smirked at that. She had asked Fox what her cut of the reward would be. When he'd shown her the six figure number she'd almost fainted. Fara did indeed pay well.

"'Least you're willing to admit it," Falco said.

"I am." Krystal could tell Fox was trying to gently shut the avian up.

"Was that why you broke up with her?" Falco asked, not getting the message.

Katt's voice came over the comm, "Falco, hon? Remember how I told you sometimes people want you to shut up even though they don't say it?"

"Yeah?"

"This is one of those times, little man."

"Oh. Sorry Fox."

"It's fine," Fox's voice showed a bit of frustration, but Krystal could sense his amusement at Katt's handling of it. Krystal got the feeling having Katt aboard would somehow make the avian more manageable. Not that he would be manageable, just that he would be more so than he was now. "Everyone clear on what we're doing?"

"Yeah," Katt said. "Heading over there and hoping they left another map."

"You think it'll be that easy?" Slippy asked.

"Oh Slippy," Katt chuckled. "When is it ever that easy?"

()()()()

Kelba 7 loomed over Katt as she hopped out of her _Catspaw_ and onto the cold, icy, deck. Life support had gone offline on the station, and she and the rest of the Star Fox boarding party were wearing their Semi-powered Combat (SPC) armor, which had built in life support. Katt noted that all of them had different colors and vaguely different styles. Fox's was green and grey, Krystal's had blue trimmings and her tattoo markings painted on it, and Slippy's was bulky and completely green, with a tool belt around the middle. Katt's was hot pink, and had every computer hacking system known to Lylat inside of it, with Pinky in a slot on her back, chirping silently in the lack of atmosphere as he remained in ready mode. Her armor also had a big heart on its chest. Pulling her dual sidearms from their magnetic holsters, she said, "At least the gravity plating is still working."

"Thank the goddesses for small mercies," Krystal replied.

"How many goddesses are there in your religion, Krys?" Katt asked, curious.

A chuckle came over the line. "How many do you want?"

"Huh?"

"Cerinian religion is polytheistic, and, for the most part, decentralized. There are the Seven Great Goddesses, which include goddesses like Siona and Athrata, then there are local goddesses, often associated with whatever resources brought wealth to those regions in the past, and then there are household goddesses, unique to each family, usually ancestors of note, or matron deities of a family profession. All told? I think it's something in the millions. Every family had at least one. The number of household goddesses was part of the census, back in the day," Krystal explained, her tail flicking in its fully articulated sleeve.

"Wow." Katt had had no idea. "That's fascinating. What about..."

"Katt?" Fox said.

"Right. Later." Katt took stock of the hangar they'd landed in. Lighting was offline, so she flicked on her high power headlamps along with the rest of the team, filling the room with twenty meters columns of bright, white, light.

The bay opened at the top, with ships forced to ascend and descend to get in and out of it. Beyond that there was little of note. She didn't see any evidence of combat, there was no carbon scoring on the walls or floors, though she did notice something a bit off. "Where are all the ships?"

"Not here," Slippy said, putting his fists on his hips and shaking his head. "Shame, they were probably vintage Lylat War. I'd have loved to take a few for spare parts. They really knew how to build for interchangeability."

"I don't think that was Katt's point, Slippy," Krystal told the toad in a gentle manner. "Fox?"

"They must have evacuated." Fox shrugged. "ROB said he didn't detect any life signs, and power systems are at a minimum."

"I guess that means our target isn't here anymore. Why leave a fully equipped research base though?" Katt wondered. Something about this place gave her the shivers, and it wasn't just the cold air.

"When Andross died Venom's forces fell apart. It was chaos. Most of the researchers and crew here probably figured it was best to get somewhere safe to hide, rather than wait for Corneria to find them," Fox said, leaving out the detail that he'd been the one to kill Andross, along with the majority of his senior field commanders. "First things first, I'd like to get life support up and running. Our suits don't have an infinite amount of oxygen. Slippy?"

Slippy pulled up a map on his wrist comm, built off of scans the _Great Fox_ had to taken before they boarded the station. He studied it for a moment, then said, "Life support control should be three levels below us, near the atmosphere generators," he said. "Follow me."

Katt fell in behind Slippy, with Krystal behind her, and Fox bringing up the rear, all of them with weapons drawn. Slippy paused in front of the hangar bay personnel lift, then tapped the call button. Nothing happened. Katt arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me the lifts aren't working."

The toad considered it for a moment, then reached for the seam in the doors. He tried to get his fingers between it, but they wouldn't fit. Krystal stepped forward and offered the services of her more slender digits. Slippy stepped back and made a 'be my guest' gesture. Krystal grunted, and then pulled the doors open. The military grade durasteel moved slowly, and Katt knew that if there had been an atmosphere it would have been squealing as it resisted Krystal's armor enhanced strength. Finally, with one more effort, Krystal got the doors open enough for them all to step through. The blue vixen went first, then turned to them with a smile in her voice. "I like this thing."

"Yeah, the SPC is pretty nice," Fox said.

"Why is it only semi-powered though?" Krystal inquired.

"Back before the Lylat Wars there were some experiments with fully powered armor," Fox said, tapping the button for the deck three levels below them. "It was a great idea in theory."

"In theory?" Krystal cocked her head.

Katt detected the grimace in Fox's voice, and she couldn't help giving one of her own. She knew where this was going. "The first guy to wear the stuff...didn't live very long. The armor was trying to enhance movement and physical reaction, along with strength, to too extreme a degree. His bones couldn't handle it. Beyond that, I'd rather not go into anymore detail."

Krystal stared at them all for a moment, then said, "I assume this stuff is safe."

"One hundred percent," Fox answered. "Slippy, why aren't we moving?"

"I guess the lifts don't have any power." Slippy held up his hands in a defeated gesture, then accessed the map again. "There should be an emergency ladder near here."

"Ugh." Katt curled her lip at the thought of having to climb up and down ladders everywhere.

"Come on Katt, it's just a little exercise," Fox admonished.

"I'd rather not lose my womanly figure," Katt groused. "Maybe I can get the power going remotely." Katt brought up her interface program and started querying for a system. Nothing. Not even a password request or handshake. Fox glanced at her and she wished he could have seen her stick her tongue out at him. "Okay, so the station's computer isn't running either."

"Shame." Fox put one foot on the ladder, then said, "Let's start climbing."

Katt followed, grumbling to herself all the while. No lifts. She didn't trust this place. Not one bit. She'd fought Venom during the Lylat Wars, mostly on her own, though she'd teamed up with Fox and his crew in a couple of battles. Because of that she knew just how slippery and unpredictable Venomian facilities could be. It was one of the reasons she'd gotten serious about programming and hacking. She'd needed the technological edge to help keep her alive on her own.

She'd made a sizeable portion of her fortune from selling information to Corneria on Venomian supply lines and base locations, hacking into their systems and stealing the data from right under the noses. One mission on Macbeth, where she'd stolen the plans for a secret assault bot the Venomians were designing for their attack on Corneria, had been so brazen and devastating, that it had caught Andross's personal attention. He'd sent a squadron of his finest hunters to ambush her. She'd nearly died. At that point she had sworn vengeance against him, and cut her rates for the Cornerians in half.

Thoughts of the damage she'd done to Andross and his followers warmed her pink kitty heart. Maybe she hadn't lost as much as Fox or Krystal had to Andross, but she knew they were cut from the same cloth, all seeking justice for injustices done, and all going about it in their own way. Katt had never said it out loud, but the day that Fox had refused a lucrative offer to become a part of the Cornerian Army Air Corps Special Forces had cemented him as a hero of hers. She respected his decision that he needed to continue the fight on his own terms, not the terms of a government and military that had proven ineffective on more than one occasion. Not that Katt didn't respect the uniform and all that, but she didn't feel guilty when she pointed out they'd needed her and Star Fox to pull their collective asses out of the fire on more than one occasion.

Katt's feet hit solid floor again and she tried to conceal her pride at the way her breath wasn't even labored. She complained about having to exercise, but she knew that with eating habits like hers she didn't have much choice but to do it, or else risk going from having curves in all the right places, to having them in all the wrong places. A soft tumtum was about the only thing she allowed herself, and that was because her mother had taught her that kitties needed soft tumtums so boys could put their heads there to sleep. _Falco certainly likes it. Miss ya mom._

"Alright, life support control should be just down this corridor," Slippy announced, walking forward before stopping when Fox put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take point from here on, Slip," Fox told his teammate.

"Sure thing Fox."

The group made their way cautiously down the corridor, their headlamps lighting the way. Katt kept her blasters down and her grip relaxed, though she was ready to bring them up at a moment's notice. A few of the side doors along the corridor were open. Katt paused briefly and stepped inside of one, signaling her deviation to the rest of the team before doing so.

"What do you see Katt?" Fox asked, pausing with the rest of the group.

"It's a break room." Katt shook her head. Coffee cups were sitting on the tables, a few of them spilled, but one or two with their contents still inside them. There was even a plate with a half eaten sandwich. "They left here in a hurry."

The comm was silent for a moment, then Fox said, "We'll find out what happened when we get to the control room."

Katt nodded and rejoined them in the corridor as they made their way inside the life support control room. Slippy immediately headed over to a console and pulled out a wireless battery pack. Katt watched as he linked it to the main console. The control boards all lit up and the toad quickly set about tapping in commands. Katt glanced over his shoulder to see if there were any security layers he was having trouble with. "You're skills have improved, Slip."

"Huh?"

"You're handling the security systems pretty well," Katt specified. "Though you might not want to do..." She was too late. Slippy tapped the enter key on the control board and Katt winced.

"What is it Katt?" Fox asked, his voice calm.

The lights in the room flickered on, and her helmet scanners told her a breathable atmosphere was being pumped into the station by the oxygen generators. Heat was also coming online, and the temperature began to rise quickly above absolute zero. She looked over Slippy's shoulder, then turned to Fox. "I think it's alright. It was just an additional security layer I thought I recognized. It's..."

"UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO LIFE SUPPORT CONTROL. FACILITY ENTERING LOCKDOWN. DEFENSE UNITS ACTIVATED. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

The room filled with the sound of a masculine computer voice, and Katt grimaced. "Alright, so it's not okay."

"Whoops." Slippy shuffled his feet and appeared upset.

Fox's head turned from Slippy, to Katt, to Slippy, then back to Katt. He checked the charge on his blaster, then said, "From now on Slippy, you don't touch a foreign computer until after Katt has sliced through the security. Understood?"

"Got it." Slippy, who had set his blaster aside while he worked, retrieved it and thumbed the safety off.

Pinky detached from Katt's back and whirred next to her on his propellers. He chirped an interrogative that roughly translated as: _Are we in trouble again?_ Katt laughed and booped him on his photoreceptor, making him bounce in the air and trill at her in excitement. "Of course we are! This is where the fun begins."

* * *

A/N:Ooooooh, they in trouble now! And remember everyone, everything is Slippy's fault. Everything. At least according to Falco.

A couple brief answers to some questions that have been asked (I'm gonna try and keep answers brief from now on)...

1\. Cerinians still mate for life whether they are telepathic or not. It is a cultural expectation, and one that is rarely, if ever, strayed from.

2\. What would Krystal specifically do in a telepathic battle? I'd rather not speculate at this point. But if you can imagine all the things the brain is in charge of...well, you get the picture. (Krystal: I'd never use those powers on my sister! Fiora: Thank the goddesses!)

As always thank you to everyone who followed/faved/reviewed over the last two weeks. It brings a smile to my face every time I get an alert for this story!

I'll see you guys in two weeks, and if you're in the ol' US of A a belated Happy 4th of July!

-furfrufrufrufrufrufrur


	15. Killer Robots

Chapter 15

Killer Robots

Blaster fire crisscrossed through the halls of space station Kelba 7 as the Star Fox team sprinted through the corridors. Katt swung around a corner and flung herself behind cover, firing the whole way, and hitting a pair of wheeled security bots. She'd almost lost count of how many of the damn things she'd taken out. Good thing Pinky would be keeping track for her with her suits armor systems. From his slot on her back the little quadcopter trilled warnings whenever an enemy tried to sneak up on her from behind, an action he performed at that very moment.

Katt swung around and fired a pair of bolts into a six legged robot before it could fire a disabling dart from its mouth cannon. Her shots took off its head and one of its six legs. "Skitterers." Katt groaned and looked over at Slippy. "Watch the vents, they could be all through them."

"Got it." The toad nodded, sighting down the corridor with his blaster resting on his forearm, while he checked his scanner with the other hand. "I'm not detecting anything."

"Venomian bots are usually stealthed. Especially the skitterers. Don't rely on that," Katt told him. She frowned. It was her job to make sure Slippy made it with her to Kelba 7's control room, the one spot they could end the lockdown and shut down the robots remotely. Fox and Krystal had split off from them, doing their best to keep the station's automated defense AI focused on them, instead of Katt and Slippy. She hadn't been a fan of that idea.

Slippy could handle himself alright in a fight, but when push came to shove he was slow, and not at all nimble. Katt consistently had to reign in her more fast and aggressive combat style to make sure she didn't get separated from him. If she'd been on her own she felt certain she would have already been at the control center. This was why she liked working alone. Even when she'd been flying with the Hot Rodders her other teammates had felt more like a liability than an asset. Falco was always going off half cocked, and Kool...well, he'd always been interested in her. Which had done nothing to help team cohesion with Falco around.

"Let's get moving. How far are we?" Katt asked, stepping over the charred chassis of one of the robots she'd downed.

"Eight more levels," Slippy replied.

"Great." Katt sighed. She was getting her workout today. Eight more levels meant eight more ladders to climb. When she got back to the _Great Fox_ she was going to give serious consideration to upping Pinky's horsepower enough so that he could carry her.

()()()()

Kelba 7 was massive. This much was finally beginning to sink in for Krystal. She and Fox had been leading the station's small army of sentry bots in circles across the length and breadth of the station, and yet the moment they thought they'd run out of space and would need to make a stand, another corridor or area opened up for them. Not that the station was making it easy and opening the doors for them. Rather, it was the fact that Kelba 7's designers may have been able to make doors that were impervious to the kind of explosive charges Fox had on hand, but that were like tissue paper to a concentrated blast of seismic energy from her staff.

With a _whunp!_ followed by a resounding clang, Krystal took out another set of security doors and charged through, confident that Fox would follow right behind her. Alarm klaxons blared and red lights flashed in the halls. They'd done a spectacular job of pissing off every square meter of the station, a point Krystal was reminded of when a pair of repulsor powered sentry robots detached from the wall and opened fire on her with stun blasters.

Krystal opened her staff shield, absorbing the blue, circular energy bolts. They'd encountered these sentry bots a few times now, and she knew that after their initial fusilade they'd need a few seconds to recharge, during which they would be vulnerable. Fox had offhandedly mentioned that these were riot control robots, designed for dealing with outbreaks of crowd violence. Considering Kelba 7 sported a small city on its surface their presence made sense to Krystal. A riot on a planet surface was one thing, but a riot on a space station out in the middle of galactic nowhere would need to be put down quickly and efficiently, before it could cause any serious damage to the facility.

The stun bolts stopped and Krystal lowered her shield, then sent a cascade of fire blaster bolts into the recharging robots. Their armor burst and melted, and their control circuits fused. They tumbled down to the ground in smoking piles, their gun arms twitching.

There was no time to celebrate however. A blaster bolt whizzed by Krystal's head, and she spun around, raising her staff shield to catch another bolt that would have hit her in the back if she hadn't been quick enough to turn on a dime. Fox was pressed against the wall, hiding behind the meager cover of a locked door alcove, as half a dozen wheeled assault bots came ripping down the corridor in pursuit of the two vulpines. A plan formed immediately in Krystal's mind.

"Fox. Get ready!" she called to him. Fox nodded, signaling his readiness for whatever stroke of magic she was ready to bring to the table.

Advancing behind her shield Krystal waited until the bots were only a few meters away, then dropped to the floor, dropped her shield, and then sprayed a cascade of ice onto the floor in front of her. The bots, with no chance to stop or course correct, slid along the ice, lost their balance, and fell over each other as they skidded to a halt behind her. Fox's blaster resonated behind her, and when Krystal turned she saw that the vulpine had put a single bolt through each of the bots craniums. Fox looked at her and she could feel the smile behind his helmet breath mask. "Good thinking."

"Thanks. Good shooting." Krystal looked ahead. "Another corridor."

"That seems to be our lot in life at the moment," Fox replied.

"It does. Not that I mind."

"Oh?"

"I could run down corridors the rest of my life and still be happy. As long as you're there with me." The words left Krystal's mouth, and her ears heated with a blush as she realized how ridiculously gooby that had sounded.

She was about to apologize for making things awkward when Fox said, "Yeah. I know what you mean."

Any further conversation was cut off by the sound of robotic feet clattering from behind them, closing on their location. Fox checked over his shoulder, then said, "Come on, let's get some exercise."

Both vulpines broke into a sprint, heading for the next area, the next corridor, and the next spot where they'd make a stand and trash a few more robots.

()()()()

Katt hauled herself up out of the latest emergency ladder tube and back onto the deck of Kelba 7. With a hiss and a surprised meow she dove to the side, just in time to avoid a laser beam aimed straight at the center of the heart on her SPC armor. Slippy screamed from behind her, and she heard a clanging noise as the toad let go of the ladder and slid down at least half a level. Katt ignored him, she didn't have time to worry.

Ahead of her were more sentry and security bots than she'd seen in a lifetime. Dozens of them were crowding the corridor, and the ones in front were projecting a ray shield. She fired both her blaster sidearms at it, only to have her bolts absorbed by the energy field. She cursed and hunkered down behind a conveniently placed metal crate. Whoever had been carrying it must have dropped it in the course of the evacuation. Katt decided that if she could ever find the person, she'd award him a medal, Venomian or otherwise. "Slippy," she said. "Stay wherever you are. Got it?"

"No argument from me," Slippy replied, his voice a bit breathless. He'd been huffing and puffing up the ladders for the last two decks. Katt couldn't blame him. This whole mission was turning into more physical exertion than any self-respecting kitty should ever have let herself be roped into.

Breathlessness aside, Katt was in a bit of a pickle. Her weapons were useless, and the bots were closing in, obviously feeling sure of themselves. It seemed like the defense computer for Kelba 7 had figured out where she and Slippy were heading, and was now setting up its defenses accordingly.

Katt peeked around her cover and spied at the other end of the hall the last emergency ladder before they reached the control center. So close, yet so far, and guarded by what looked like half the station's robot security contingent. _Great Katt. How are you gonna get out of this one?_

A thought occurred to her. If she'd been on her own she'd have been royally screwed at this point. Of course, if she'd been on her own, she would have gotten to the control room a lot quicker, and probably before the defense computer could rally its defenses. Ah well, she couldn't blame Slippy for everything, tempting as it was. That was Falco's job. _Falco!_

Katt accessed her armors comm unit and sent a tight beam, encrypted hail to Falco's Arwing, and hoped that the AI she was facing wasn't smart enough or powerful enough to break through her comm units encryption and listen in. "Falco, honey? I need a favor."

"Yeah?"

"I need you to target a charge shot on this location. Enough to cause a hull breach," Katt replied, sending him her position. "You see it?"

"Yeah. You're in tower 434. Seal it up babe, I'm inbound." Falco's voice cut out after that, and Katt closed the channel.

"Slippy! Hold on down there!" she called out. Slippy sent her an acknowledgement via his suit. Katt set her feet on the floor and magnetized her boots, then uttered a little prayer to the kitty goddess of Nine Lives, bracing herself for quite possibly the stupidest thing she had ever done..

A moment later and a massive, deafening, bang hit Katt's ears, leaving them ringing even as her suit activated its sound dampeners and polarized her visor. The crate she was behind was blown out from behind her, and she spared a glance over her shoulder to watch as the robots all went sailing out of a brand new hull breach. Out against the star studded blackness Katt saw Falco's Arwing do a jaunty little roll, and she swore he gave her a mocking half salute. She waved back, then stood up.

A credit to the station's designers, the control computer activated containment fields, sealing the breach and maintaining hull integrity. Her suit indicated that fresh oxygen was being pumped in to replace the atmosphere lost to explosive decompression. Katt checked to make sure all her limbs were still attached, and told her suit to do a quick self diagnostic. No breaches. She was vacuum tight, and all systems were functioning. That brought a wash of relief to the pink feline's stomach. Her armor was tough, but with the amount of computer systems installed on it, it had its own share of weaknesses.

Behind her she felt Pinky detach himself, and the little quadcopter hovered up in front of her, blatted at her that she was insane, then reattached himself in a huff. She smiled. "I know little guy. I know. Slip? You can come up now."

Slippy joined her and the two of them headed for the final ladder, which, fortunately, hadn't been destroyed in the hull breach. Katt realized belatedly that that had been a rather serious risk. Katt set her foot on the first rung, and was about to breathe a sigh that they were through the last of the surprises, when the Kelba AI's voice blared through the speakers once again. "HOSTILE VESSELS DETECTED WITHIN DEFENSE PERIMETER. DEFENSE MEASURES ACTIVATED. DEPLOYING DRONES."

"Ah shit." Katt hung her head, then opened a channel to Falco and Fiora. "Guys? You're about to have company."

()()()()

Falco sped away from tower 434, gunning his engines to put some distance behind him. He saw Fiora on his radar, maintaining their patrol pattern, though she'd nudged herself a little closer to his position in case he needed help. Needed help. He never needed help. Well, most of the time. Foxy boy had saved him a few times in the Lylat Wars, but really, what was that against his usual genius piloting?

Peppy's voice crackled in his cockpit comm. "Tell Katt she's insane."

"I think she already knows gramps." Falco chuckled. "Don't worry, I didn't harm a hair on her pretty little head."

"She's still insane," Peppy groused.

"You tellin' me you and Fox's old man never didn't anything crazy like that?" Falco retorted. Peppy's silence was telling. "Yeah. What I thought." Falco smirked, pleased with himself for winning the argument.

He was about to settle back into that boring patrol pattern ROB had plotted for them when Katt's voice filled his cockpit. "Guys? You're about to have company."

Falco checked his radar, then grinned at the sight of a dozen red dots pouring out of the old space station. "Hell yeah. Target practice."

ROB's monotone cut off any further celebration. "Detecting a full squadron of Venomian Class-3 Defense Drones."

"Class-3, huh? I blew up, like, a hundred of those in Sector X," Falco replied. "Fiora, form on my wing, we're taking it to them."

"Copy that lead," Fiora's voice replied.

Falco brought his Arwing up to combat speed and closed on the group of drones approaching them. "Alright, be careful, they come apart easy but they got a low target profile and lots of firepower. Try not to..." Fiora opened up with her fighter's main cannon, ripped apart three of the drones, and forced the formation to scatter. "...miss," Falco finished, his grin returning full force. "Oh I like you."

"Appreciate it lead," Fiora responded. Falco detected the tone of a hunter killer in her voice. "Let's finish these bastards, eh?"

"You're on." Falco barrel rolled after them, opening up with his Arwing's wing mounted repeater cannons. Another two drones were blown to space dust. This was too easy.

Unfortunately, the goddess of foolhardiness must have heard his thought, because a flash of laser fire streaked by his cockpit. Falco swore and banked starboard, avoiding another cutting beam. "The hell was that?"

"Station's turrets are coming online," ROB's inflectionless voice informed him.

"The station has turrets?" Falco exclaimed, avoiding another three beams by the width of a feather.

"Looks that way," Peppy said.

"Yeah. Thanks gramps," Falco grunted. "Fiora, you got the beefier shields. You feel like an attack run on those defenses?"

"My pleasure. You can handle the drones?"

"Piece of cake." Falco caught one in his sights and squeezed the trigger. The drone evaporated. Six more to go. On his radar he saw Fiora turn around and head back for the station. He wished her luck. Things were finally getting interesting around here.

()()()()

Fox stumbled as the station rocked beneath him. Krystal caught him and kept him running, even as sentry bot fire nipped at his heels. "What was that?"

"I don't know. But Fiora's in full on aggression mode," Krystal answered.

Peppy's voice sounded in Fox's ears. "Katt had a bit of a problem on her way to the control center. Station has opened fire on us out here. Fiora's gunning down turrets on the surface."

"Copy," Fox said. "Tell her to be careful. I intend to claim salvage rights on this thing."

A chuckle from the old hare. "Pirate."

"Businessman," Fox replied. "I'll call you back." Fox cut the connection, then hunkered down in another doorway alcove. At least a dozen sentry bots were after them now, with their boxy chassis's and angry, black, eyes. Stun bolts impacted all around him, pinging off the metal floors and walls. "Can you get us in there?" Fox asked, glancing towards the blast door in front of them.

"Cover me."

Fox nodded and started putting rounds down the length of the corridor. The sentry bots shrank back, buying the vixen enough time to put her staff to the door and work her magic. Except this time, when she used her staff's seismic weapon, the door wasn't the one that got blown back. Krystal went flying down the corridor, smacking her helmeted head against the ground loud enough that Fox head the crack and saw her go limp. His eyes widened and for a brief moment panic threatened to set in. He tamped down on that fast, crushing it mercilessly with his years of experience, training, and professionalism. His team biomonitor indicated that she was alive, and her biosigns were were within normal parameters for combat. She was just knocked out. Knocked out, and in the path of a bunch of bloodthirsty robots.

The sentry bots parted way for a wave of wheeled assault bots, and Fox heard the telltale skittering noises of skitterer bots coming from the vents. Fox squeezed off a few rounds, hitting one of the assault bots in the cranium, and sending it tumbling back into its fellows, who nimbly dodged it, rolling up on the rounded corridor walls. "Krystal!"

His voice must have broken through, because Krystal started to move. He sensed the rush of fear and adrenaline when she realized where she was. Fox was about to charge out to try and get her and drag her back to safety, when the air vent above him clattered to the ground. A digitized howl filled his senses, and a skitterer bot launched itself down on him, its insectoid jaws snapping at his neck. Fox managed to hold it off with his arm, tossing it to the side and unloading his blaster into it. Before he could turn around another one of the skitterers hopped on him from behind, sending him tumbling down onto his stomach. He felt its jaws close around him, and he yelled as he tried to right himself and throw the blasted thing off of him. It was no use, the pressure increased, and he could feel his SPC armor flooding his neck with hydrostatic gel, increasing the density of the armor in an attempt to prevent a breach. It wouldn't work. The skitterers jaws were powerful enough to bite through an Arwing wing, and the armor would stop before it pumped so much gel to the area that it strangled him.

At the moment Fox thought he was about to die however, the jaws of the skitterer went limp, and the alarm klaxons that had been blaring all around them, so loud and so constant that Fox had simply stopped noticing them, came to a silent halt. Metal clattered to the floor as the skitterer rolled off his back. With a yell of both panic and rage Fox rolled over and blasted the thing several times, crawling away like a crab. His breath came in rapid pants, and his heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest. "Dammit!" Fox fought to get himself back under control, but as he looked around and saw all the robots resting limply on the ground, his body decided it was out of trouble and began dumping his adrenaline, a process that made his hands shake and his throat laugh in nervous relief. He was alive.

A blue armored hand held itself out, and he looked up to see Krystal staring down at him, helmet off, a smile on her muzzle. Fox grinned and took her hand, letting her haul him to his feet. He popped the seal on his own helmet and pulled it off, breathing in the stench of melted plastic from the circuit boards he'd fried in the first skitterer, and enjoying the feeling of unfiltered, but still recycled, air. Fox brought his wrist comm to his muzzle and said, "Katt?"

"Katt here. I got it. Station defenses have been deactivated. We're all good."

Both Fox and Krystal shared a sigh of relief. "Alright. We'll meet you at the control center. Hang tight. We'll be there in..." Fox paused and glanced at Krystal. She had a far away look in her eyes, and she was standing stock still. Fear gripped him as he wondered if that knock to her head might have been a whole lot worse than he had thought. He was about to ask what was wrong when he saw her eyes begin to glow with telepathic energy. Then, she shrieked. "Krystal!" Fox grabbed her as her legs gave out beneath her. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and he heard her mumbling something that sounded like 'matem' over and over again. Then, her whole body started convulsing. Fox felt panic grip him. He didn't know what to do, or what was wrong, or how to fix it. He was powerless. "Krystal? Krystal!"

* * *

A/N: One of my most action heavy chapters. A real blast if you know what I mean *nudge nudge*

Also...CLIFFHANGER

As always a shout out to those who have been reviewing and following and faving, you guys are awesome! And a shout as well to those who haven't done any of that but have still been reading the story, you guys are awesome too!

I'll see you soon for the next update!

-furfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfirhgihrihgorihger


	16. Illuminating Luminaries

Chapter 16

Illuminating Luminaries

Cerinia burned beneath Ivan Yarus's feet. The fires of the planet's own mantle had been turned against it. The magic that the natives had relied on, gifts from departed goddesses of long ago, had been ripped away, leaving the planet to the fate that had always been its due. As he stood there, arms behind his back, his lab coat a startling white against the orange and blacks of the planet below, Ivan saw the first cracks in the crust begin to spiderweb their way across the entire surface. In a few moments, there would be nothing left of Cerinia, and what remained of its people would be under the control of their rightful masters. Men of pure enlightenment, willing to use science not to prop up ridiculous societal notions of freedom and tolerance, but to establish dominance, and a society that would bring everyone a little closer to the ultimate fabric of a perfectly ordered universe.

Ivan sighed and turned away, no longer interested in watching the planet die. He had other things to do. A voice reverberated through his mind then, and he clutched his skull for a moment as it shook. "Watch."

Ivan turned back to the spectacle, never once having disobeyed that voice. The voice of perfection. The voice that should have brought millions to self-sacrifice in its name, but had instead inspired them to resistance and violence. Lesser minds, it seemed, always reacted with violence when confronted with that which was greater than them.

Beneath his feet, Cerinia exploded, expelling trillions of tons of rock, metal, and biomatter into the cosmos. One day it would settle into a stable orbit around its star, Ceria, and become a beautiful example of the universe's ultimate perfection. Ivan would not live to see that. For the next several centuries or more it would be a dangerous, chaotic, graveyard. An example of the natural instinct of lesser elements towards disorder that Ivan and the disembodied spirit that shared the room with him sought to suppress. For the good of all, of course.

"Excellent." That voice again. Deep. Powerful. Charismatic. Given more strength in death than it had had even in life, if such a thing were possible. Ivan didn't believe in gods. He didn't believe in the supernatural. Before he had met this man, he would never have believed the continued existence of consciousness after the physical body had expired was possible. "You acquired all the specimens you will need?"

Ivan nodded an affirmative. "Yes. Seven thousand. All within the highest percentile for telepathic and telekinetic ability. A little more than half of which are female. We'll have all the minds we need, and more than enough breeding stock to create a stable crop for the future."

"You have done well, then, Ivan. I expected no less. You were always one of my most reliable lieutenants. I should have made you Chief Scientist long ago."

"You had other priorities, and Project Iron Fist required my personal attention," Ivan said, maintaining his humility while dismissing the sentiment.

"This is true. Though none of the weapons my former Chief created ever proved enough to turn the tide." A brief sense of wistfulness. "No matter. You have a base selected?"

"Yes. X-83. Unpopulated, and with extensive Krazoa ruins. Automated colonization has already taken place, using equipment from all of the Kelba series deep space stations," Ivan informed his master. "We'll be ready to begin full scale production of Project Iron First as soon as the cargo arrives."

"Excellent. Before I depart for Sauria, I have only one small adjustment to make."

"Of course."

"It is no longer Iron Fist. I intend to destroy Lylat. Control of that wretched system is impossible. I have already sent the schematics for the satellite weapons to your base. From here on this operation shall have a new name. The Storm."

()()()()

Fiora's boots clicked against the metal floors of Kelba 7 as she ran down the corridor. She turned a corner and saw Fox, with Krystal in his arms, and looking more frightened than she'd ever seen him. Fiora stopped and kneeled beside him, then looked at her sister. The blue vixen's eyes were closed, and Fiora sensed that her mind had retreated in on itself, throwing up every shield and mental barrier it had at its disposal. Fiora had seen this before. "Telepathic shock. Something must have overwhelmed her."

"Can you do anything for her?" Fox asked, biting his lip.

"Let me have her," Fiora told him, masking any indication of how much it pleased her to see him so worried. He cared about her sister as deeply as she did. Perhaps more, in a way. "Don't worry, this isn't as serious as it looks. It's about akin to fainting."

"Fainting isn't exactly ideal," Fox replied, though she noted a subtle wash of relief from him.

"No. But it's not as bad as a coma." Fiora set her sister down and cradled her head in the crook of her arm. She placed the fingers of her other hand at precise points along her temple and cheek, then whispered the Cerinia ritual incantation for touch telepathy, the only form powerful enough to reach her in this state. At least, the only form that would give Fiora the power to reach her. She wasn't the perfect candidate for dealing with this sort of problem.

Fiora pressed up against the barriers in Krystal's mind, knocking on the door she knew how to find in each one. Her sister sensed her presence, knew her to be a friend, and let her in. Fiora pressed through Krystal's inner sanctums, seeing everything. Her sister had never hidden her thoughts from her family. All nine rings of thought were open to Fiora, and to their mother and father. All save one, now that Fiora looked.

She stopped, alighting on a metaphorical balcony, where the door had a screen closed over it. Fiora could hear Krystal's thought voice murmuring inside. Tapping on the screen Fiora thought, "Sister?"

"Fiora?"

The screen opened, and Krystal motioned for her to come in. Fiora smiled at the room that her sister's mind had chosen to project. A bed sat in one corner, and on the wall was a fresco she remembered Krystal painting with her mother. It showed Siona, bare breasted, and with arms outstretched, her familiarly cunning and sensual look in her eye, surrounded by stars and planets, whorls of nebulas, and, flying out from the tips of her fingers, a squadron of Cerinian battle fighters not unlike the one Fiora now piloted. "Your old room," Fiora said.

Krystal sat on the bed, her hands resting on the edge, her eyes glued to the fresco. Fiora sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "What did you feel?"

"Her."

"Siona?" Fiora asked.

"No. Mother. Matem." Krystal turned to her sister, tears in her eyes. "They're using her. Her voice to...to..."

Fiora swallowed and nodded in understanding. "They're using her telepathy for whatever they're building."

"Not just that." Krystal looked back at the painting on the wall. Her eyes traveled up and down Siona's body, and she shivered. "They're lying to her."

"Lying?"

"She thinks she's with her goddess." Krystal's lower lip trembled. "They all think they're with their goddess. They don't know what they're doing."

Fiora felt fear settle in her gut like a lump of pure ice. She remembered the stories of false visions, false goddesses, and how they had been used against her people in the past. Cerinians would do anything for their goddesses. Even if they didn't know quite what it was they were being asked. "Krystal. What happened?"

"It's them." Krystal turned and hugged her sister, tears streaming down her face. "They're the Storm!"

()()()()

Fiora came back to herself, ripping her hand away from her sister, and almost letting the vixen fall. She caught her, and Krystal's eyes fluttered open. "Sister!"

Krystal grimaced and sat up, leaning her back against the wall. Fox took her hands in his. "Krys?"

"Please. Not so loud. I have the mother of all headaches," Krystal whispered. She reached up and clutched her forehead. Fiora sensed her sister letting the emotions of a moment before flow to the back of her mind. She didn't need them right now, and she could deal with them later. Fiora sometimes envied her sister's capacity for mental discipline. She controlled her thoughts with an iron will, much like their mother. Fiora had always worn her heart on her sleeve. When something bothered her, she dealt with it then and there. There was no time more appropriate than that very instant for her. Krystal, on the other hand, possessed the ability for patience.

"What happened?" Fox asked, his ears cupped forward and an intense expression on his muzzle.

Krystal got to her feet and pointed toward the blast doors she'd tried to open with her staff, but that had been too strong to breakthrough. "We need to get in there."

"Why?" Fox stood up with her, and Fiora looked between the two of them.

"There's something in there," Krystal replied, her face twisting in pain as she talked. Fiora could sympathize. A telepathy induced migraine put even the worst hangover to shame. "Something we need."

"Alright." Fox nodded. "I trust you." He brought his wrist comm to his muzzle and said, "Katt, I need a door opened down here. Can you handle that?"

"Just call me the door kitty," came the feline's rich, purring, voice.

A moment later the black blast doors began to open, slowly and with a great deal of squealing. Krystal recoiled and covered her ears. Fiora put her hands on the blue vixen's shoulders to help her keep her feet. Finally the doors stopped squealing and stood fully open. Krystal stepped forward, staff in hand. Fiora drew her sword and the blade extended from the pocketed length it had kept while she flew. Fox had his blaster up, and his armor's lights on. Krystal seemed to know right where she was going, and now that they were inside, Fiora could sense it too. Like a beacon, it radiated psionic energy. Or...perhaps more like a relay.

"I can get the lights for ya, too," Katt's voice informed them, just as the room filled with a bright, sudden, illumination. Krystal cursed and covered her eyes, and Fiora tried not to laugh at the blue vixen's expense. She caught Krystal shoot her a dirty look, obviously having heard the mental snicker.

"Thanks Katt. Can you dial it down a little?" Fox said into his wrist comm.

"Sure! Low, moody, sexy, lighting on the way." Katt's voice was sounding quite chipper, the pink feline obviously pleased to be back at a keyboard. The lights dimmed.

Krystal opened her eyes fully and continued walking. A few moments later they pushed a set of boxes aside and located the item they were after. It was a pentagon of stone, with wrought iron around the edges, and a white, opalescent pearl in the middle, that flashed and flickered with psionic energy. Fiora stared at it in awe. "A Luminary."

"A what?" Fox asked, not understanding the significance.

"A Luminary is an ancient Krazoa artifact. Quite rare," Krystal explained, stepping up to it and resting her hand on the pearl in the middle. "The gem in the center is a shard of magical crystal, that focuses telepathic energy. Krazoa used them to communicate across vast interstellar distances."

"Why is it flashing?" Fox stared at the thing suspiciously. After what he'd told them about his experiences on Sauria, Fiora couldn't blame him for being distrustful of Krazoa tech.

"It's sending a signal." Krystal closed her eyes. Fiora saw her sister's back stiffen, and the vixen spun around, eyes wide.

"What is it?" Fiora could sense the vixen's alarm.

"We have to get back to Corneria. Now." Krystal picked up the Luminary and pressed on the edges. Like most Cerinian and Krazoa technology, the Luminary was capable of being shrunken or enlarged as the circumstances demanded. The Luminary shrunk to a size small enough for Krystal to easily carry, and the vixen tucked it under her arm.

"What? Why?" Fox reached out and touched her shoulder. "Krys? What's going on?"

The blue vixen took a deep, steadying breath, banishing her fear, steadying herself from how shaken she'd been a moment ago. "Corneria. They're under attack." She looked Fox in the eyes. "What Andross did to our people," she glanced at Fiora when she said this, "The probe. Ivan Yarus. They're all connected. Fox. The Storm is coming, and the first wave is landing on Corneria. Right now."

"And now to destroy the Lylat System," Fox muttered. "That's what Andross said to me when I faced him over Dinosaur Planet. Is this how he plans to do it? Whatever Ivan is working on? The probe?" Krystal nodded, and Fiora sensed that her sister had never been more sure of anything in her life. Fox brought his wrist comm to his muzzle. "Star Fox, everyone, back to the _Great Fox_ now! ROB, set a course back to Corneria, engage at maximum velocity as soon as we're back aboard."

Acknowledgements flooded in, and the three of them set off for the hangar at a run. Fiora asked, "Krystal? What is the Storm? You said it like a proper noun."

"I'm not sure," Krystal admitted. "But whatever it is, Andross intended to use it to destroy Lylat."

"And our people?"

"Ivan is using them, somehow." Krystal shook her head as they entered the hangar. Katt and Slippy were sprinting towards their ships.

"What's going on?" Katt asked.

"Corneria is under attack," Fox said, then hopped into his Arwing and started the power up sequence.

"Krystal? Matem? Patem? Decius? Are they alive?" Fiora asked, strapping into her battle fighter.

"Yes. We need to get to them. Free them." Krystal was silent for a moment. Fiora's belly filled with a warm, relieved feeling, before it turned into a burning hot rage to think of her family and her love being forced to use their powers for the same bastards who destroyed their world. "I think they're the key. Fox?"

Fox's voice was heavy on the comm line. "Krystal? Switch to a private frequency."

Fox and Krystal's images disappeared from Fiora's commboard, and she bit her lip nervously wondering what they were talking about. Krystal had shielded herself, taking Fox's request for privacy seriously. A moment later they reappeared and Fox said, "First we save Corneria. Then we go save the Cerinians. Everyone clear?"

Fiora bit her lip. She understood Fox's reasoning, and she even agreed with it. It all hinged on Krystal though. If her sister decided to go off with that Luminary and try to find their people, Fiora would be right behind her, no matter the consequences. There was a loaded silence for almost a minute, and then Krystal said, "You're right. First we save Corneria. Then we save my people."

The relief in Fox's voice was plain. "Good. Alright Star Fox, let's go home."

* * *

A/N: Man, I am just giving you guys all the cliffhangers aren't I? Oh well. Muwhahahahahahahaha

Our plot thickened once again in this chapter, as we finally have some answers to questions like "What happened to the Cerinians?" And "Why is this story called The Storm?"

The next chapter will be coming soon, and we'll be shifting gears a little bit. So, prepare yourself for something tiny and badass.

As always a big thank you to all of you who leave reviews, favs, and follows, it brings joy to my heart every time I see them :D And if you've just been reading along without hitting those buttons, that's fine too, I love you all!

See you starside!

-furfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfur


	17. Battle of Corneria City 1 of 3

Chapter 17

Battle for Corneria City

1 of 3

Smoke filled Fay Spaniel's nostrils as she picked herself up off the concrete pavement of a Corneria City sidewalk. Her ears were ringing, but as they cleared she could make out the sounds of panic and screams, as well as blaster fire and the strange, scintillating screeches of the weapons wielded by these latest invaders.

They'd come without warning, bursting from the Phoenix Corp headquarters in the middle of downtown. They were huge, at least eight feet tall, made of silver metal that burst into a million blue pieces when they went down. Burst into a million blue pieces, and then, depending on how lucky you were, either did or didn't form a puddle and then reconstitute itself.

The robot invaders were everywhere now. And they could fly. She'd seen a whole platoon of them sprout insect like wings out of their fat, shell like backs, and come screaming and hollering up into her squadron, one of the few complete squadrons within first response range of the capital. Fleet said they were moving half a dozen carriers into position, maritime and orbital, but they wouldn't be here for hours yet. The fleet had been on maneuvers, and the Air Corps was scrambling to pick up the slack.

Pulling her sidearm from its holster Fay glanced around and spotted her downed Vici-class fighter. She breathed a sigh of relief to find that it hadn't landed on anyone. In fact, the scores of panicked civilians in the area were running away from it, and her by extension, probably worried it would explode. Now that she thought about it, with the way smoke was pouring out of it, and the smell of spent plasma exhaust was beginning to hang over the area, there was a fairly high probability of that happening. "Oh shit."

Fay broke into a run, cursing her tiny legs for how they limited her top speed. People had made fun of her for being short her whole life, and she'd never let it bother her. Right now though, she wished she had legs like Miyu. Hell, she wished Miyu were here to sweep her into her big, buff, arms and carry her away to safety. As she ran she spotted a parked car sitting in the middle of the road and dove behind it. Not a second later the air filled with a massive _BOOM!_ followed by a rush of wind and a blast of heat, and tiny specks of shrapnel landing on the pavement.

Fay took a moment to catch her breath then stood up and took stock of her situation. She spotted a sign that said 'Fourth Avenue' and realized where she was. Right in the middle of Corneria City's entertainment center. Movie theaters, concert halls, and convention buildings were to either side of her, and there were a lot of people rushing both in and out of them. "Crap. Where the hell are the cops when you need 'em?"

Her question was answered when sirens started blaring. Fay looked up and saw a group of police VTOLs come hurtling between the buildings, before landing in whatever clear space they could find to disgorge about a hundred of Corneria City's finest. Fay jogged over to one of the officers and said, "I need to get to the nearest Air Corps command post."

The officer stared at her. "Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to head for the convention center parking lot. Were setting up evacuation centers. You'll be able to get a ride out of the city from there."

"I don't need a ride out of the city, I need to get to a command post so I can check in with my CO," Fay growled.

"Ma'am. Like I said..."

Fay cut him off and grabbed her flight suit. "Hey, jackhole, do I look like a civvie? Lieutenant Fay Spaniel, Cornerian Army Air Corps, 474th Fighter Wing, Husky Squadron. I don't need a ride out of the city, I need to get to a command post so I can get new orders, and help defend this sorry ass place. Got it?"

The officer just continued to stare at her, and Fay realized this poor guy had no idea what was going on. He was a cop. A Corneria City cop. The worst thing he'd probably ever had to deal with was a speeding ticket, or maybe a hold up with a butter knife. He was out of his league and barely managing to hold it together. "Son of a bitch." Fay shoved him out of the way and started running. There was a bar near here that she and Bill liked to use. The woman who ran it was an ex-Marine, she'd still be there, and she'd probably have some idea what was going on.

Under normal circumstances Fay would have simply linked to the local battlenet and connected with command from there. These weren't normal circumstances. If it was possible to ambush a city, that's exactly what these bots had done. Everyone had been caught off guard, and when her squadron had scrambled the battlezone was already about to engulf their hangar. Comms were dead or overloaded as frightened civilians tried to find family and friends, and even the military channels were in disarray. Fay was confident communications would get a handle on themselves, but for now this was chaos, pure and simple.

A screeching noise filled the air, and Fay dove down to the pavement just as a purple lance of energy flew through the space her back had been occupying half a second ago. It struck a few meters away and melted a manhole cover. Fay rolled onto her back, sidearm aimed at her attacker, and unloaded half the charge at the silver helmed bot. It stood on two legs, and Fay noticed the rockets on its heels which gave it the lift to get off the ground and fly. Its helmet split in two, and the thing screamed at her so loud she had to cover her ears as she scrambled away. Civilians to either side went down, clutching their heads and crying insanely, begging the noise to stop. This was new.

Fay got to her feet and started running. She couldn't help anyone. All she could do was get to the bar and hope the owner had a working comm unit. Behind her she heard the screech of the beam weapon firing again followed by more screaming and sobbing. Fay put it out of her mind, desperately hoping the noises and the images that came with them wouldn't come back to haunt her dreams when this was all over.

Above her she saw a Vici fighter weave its way between two skyscrapers, a pair of the bugbots trailing behind it, firing. The fighter took a hit, and one of its wings disintegrated. Fay muttered curses to herself. That's what had happened to her. Shields were useless against these things. The beams cut right through them like they weren't even there. She'd tried to send that information over the comm to her squadron, and she'd heard Bill acknowledge before her link went dead, but obviously it wasn't making it down the grapevine as fast as it needed to.

Fay turned a corner and put a bit of extra speed into her sprint as she saw the neon sign over the street. Sweet Business, a pub that served great booze and scrumptious, greasy, unhealthy food. Fay had spent many an hour there with Bill and their squadron mates, often with Miyu tagging along. Half remembered memories of being wasted and dancing on the tables while on leave filled her head and helped banish some of the uglier thoughts from her mind.

Dodging around a crowd of civilians beating on the doors of a nearby club Fay shouldered her way into the Sweet Business. "DOWN!" Fay hit the deck without an instant's hesitation. She heard the sound of a minigun revving up, and then there were plasma bullets flying over her head. Glass broke and shattered, and she listened as the door's expensive wood paneling was ripped to shreds. Then it stopped. Fay looked up and saw a muscular lioness wearing a leather jacket and pants blow smoke from the barrel of her Type-A Plasma Repeater. The feline reached out a hand and said, "Sorry Fay, there were some robot fuckers behind you. I think they mighta been checking out your ass."

Fay took the hand and let herself get hauled to her feet. She smiled at the lioness, now in her early thirties, but still looking mean as hell in her blast vest and shin guards, with a tattoo of Andross getting a bullet through his head on her left forearm. "Jennifer Lindholm. You are exactly the lesbian I needed to see."

Jennifer, Jenny to her friends, laughed out loud. "Glad to hear it. Why aren't you in the air?"

"I got shot down," Fay admitted. "Comms are a mess right now. You wouldn't happen to know where I could link up with command or the battlenet, would you?"

"I would." Jenny smiled and led her to the back of the bar, where a tiny parabolic dish was hooked up to a rinky-dink computer and a pair of store bought speakers. "Be my guest."

"You're kidding." Fay looked at the lioness incredulously.

"I'm serious," Jenny replied. "Did I not tell you my bar is also a safehouse for top brass?"

"Don't tell me..."

"Nadira had it put in." Jenny gave her one of those shit eating grins only Marines, and especially ex-Marine Raiders, could summon.

"Fucking A." Fay sat down and tapped in her comm code.

A non-com at headquarters appeared on the screen, and said, "Lieutenant? Are you where this says you are?"

"Affirmative. I need to get into contact with Air Corps command, right away. My plane is dead but I'm 100 percent and ready to fight," Fay replied. She noted Jenny's nod of approval in the screen's reflection.

"Wait one. Connecting you now." The image defaulted to the Cornerian Defense Force logo. Fay waited, ears perked. Then the screen filled with a face she had not expected to see. She sat ramrod straight. "General Pepper, sir!"

"Lieutenant," Pepper said. "I don't have a lot of time. We're a bit busy here. I need you to head to these coordinates ASAP. We have a tier 1 asset there that's gotten pinned down by the enemy on its way to headquarters, and you're the closest thing to a rescue force anywhere near it."

"Understood sir. I'll get it done." Pepper nodded and signed off. Fay stood up and looked at Jenny. "What?"

"Singular?"

"I didn't want to assume," Fay said, shrugging her shoulders.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Once a Marine, always a Marine. Now come on, let's grab a ride and go get whatever this asset is."

"Or whoever," Fay thought to mention.

Jenny chuckled. "Oh, wouldn't that be something? I bet I could get all sorts of tax breaks if I rescue the right councilperson." The lioness paused in front of a blank wall, then knocked in a curious, rapid fire, pattern. The wall disappeared, revealing itself as a hologram, and Fay's jaw dropped. "You know how to gun on one of these?"

Fay stared and nodded mutely. Jenny grunted and hauled herself up. When Fay didn't move the ex-Marine said, "Hey, Corneria to Lesbo 1, I'm gonna need a hand. Jeez, act like you've never seen a Landmaster before."

Fay broke out of her dumbfounded reverie and climbed aboard. She settled into the gunner seat and grinned as Jenny revved the engine. "Alright, let's go kick some ass."

()()()()

Bill Grey had never seen anything like this. He'd been stationed on Katina during the war, one of the youngest officers ever given command of a squadron, Husky, which he still led. He'd fought there when Andross sent one of his supercarriers to try and waste the base protecting the planet from full scale invasion. He'd thought he'd never see so many airborne hostiles again in his lifetime. Looking back, that had been but a pale imitation of what he was facing now.

Everywhere he went there were hordes of the damn bugbots, flying in formation and chasing down police and Army VTOLs, sending them crashing into the city one after the other, often before Bill or any of the meager fighter defenses could save them. Bill checked his squadron tags. He'd lost half his pilots. Including Fay. That one hurt. They all hurt. But he couldn't be distracted by it. Even if Fay was like a little sister to him, and his second in command, and the heart and soul of the squadron these days. Right before he'd lost contact with her, Fay had managed to communicate to him and the rest of the squadron that the bugbot's weapons were passing right through full shields, important information, and Bill knew it would save lives in the future. The problem was that in the present, they were flying in a city, and maneuverability was limited. Bill and the rest of the pilots had all been counting on the Vici-class fighters enhanced shields to make them competitive with the bugbots, who were small and agile enough to run circles around them in the close confines of the city.

Bill swung around a skyscraper and opened up with his nose cannon on a squad of bugbots, hosing them with green, supercharged energy. Two of them melted, and the other two broke off, buzzing away and out of sight. Bill grimaced. They were getting nowhere with all of this. At least, nowhere good. No matter how many of the things they killed, more always took their place. It wouldn't be long before the whole city had been overrun.

The commboard in Bill's cockpit started flashing. "This is an All Hands on Deck Directive. Skyburst Alert. Unknown hostiles have attacked across Katina, Fortuna, Zoness, Aquas, Macbeth, Eladard, Papetoon, Fichina, Titania, and Venom. All Cornerian Military Assets are to proceed immediately to Defense Condition 1. Further orders will follow. Have Courage. This is an All Hands on Deck Directive. Skyburst Alert..." The message repeated and Bill muted it.

"Commander? What's going on?"

Bill frowned. Pierce, his youngest pilot. Fresh out of the Academy and still wet behind the ears. A couple of Bill's pilots, both dead now, had been planning on hazing the poor guy tomorrow, and Bill had been planning to put a stop to it. Guess it didn't matter now. Opening the squadron channel, Bill said, "Exactly what it sounds. You all know what a Skyburst Alert means. Lylat's in it up to the neck again. Stay calm, have courage, and keep shooting. We'll have our orders, and we'll do our jobs. Clear?"

"Acknowledged." Pierce's voice, a little shaky, but far from panicking.

The rest of the squad came back with the same words, and Bill took solace in their professionalism. He frowned. Now all he needed was Fay.

()()()()

 _Brap! Brap! Brap!_ Miyu ducked behind the wall of the antique shop she and Fara had taken cover in and held back a string of curses as a torrent of purple fire came back at them. Her fur stood on end as wood chips, plaster, and hot metal fragments whizzed through the air. The fire stopped and Miyu checked the charge on the rifle she'd taken from the dead hands of one of their CDF bodyguards. Less than a quarter left. "We're screwed," Miyu said.

Next to her, Fara Phoenix, CEO, owner, and lead designer for Phoenix Corp, clutched at her smoking thigh, and said, "What gave you that idea?" Her words came out strong and measured, though Miyu could tell the fennec was trying not to scream. That wound was nasty. Miyu made a mental note to get her medical license at the earliest opportunity. The body was just another machine, and her stomach was strong enough that the thought of surgery didn't bother her in the slightest.

"We've got about fifty of those bugbots outside. They're shooting up everything." Miyu shook her head. This attack was insane. It seemed to possess no clear military objective. Instead, it seemed to be intended to sow fear and panic, and then to exterminate every living thing inside of Corneria City. And it was her fault. She wouldn't be surprised if General Pepper had been having her and Fara transported to the CDF HQ so he could fry them personally. "We should've left it alone."

Fara grimaced as another laser beam came through the shattered window. It hit a porcelain tea set, the pot exploded and the cups and saucers shattered. "We don't know that it was us."

Miyu shook her head. Leave it to rich Fara not to take responsibility. This was all their fault. What was it they used to say? Curiosity killed the cat? Well, now it was going to kill Miyu, the cat, Fara, and probably half of Corneria City. Or all of it. When she peeked out from behind cover and saw the bugbots raking beams across the lower floors of a department store filled with screaming civilians, she realized the latter was the most likely. "Where the hell is the Defense Force?"

"I don't know." Fara leaned her head against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. "Miyu. You couldn't have known. It was inert."

"I've figured out dead things before," Miyu huffed. Dead technology was simple. All you had to do was bring it back to life, in a controlled manner. What had happened with the probe had been anything but controlled. "I should've recognized the circuitry. I should've seen where all those little catoms were leading. I should've read the programming more closely. And more quickly."

Fara rolled her eyes. "Oh for God sake Miyu. You're a genius, we get it. The galaxy is full of technological mysteries only a mind like yours can solve. Now, will you get your head out of your ass and remember something?"

Miyu glared at her but bit back her reply. There was no reason to trade insults. Not if they were going to end up dead anyway.

"You're not always right. And come on? Read the programming in the catoms more closely and more quickly? You and I were barely a third of our way through it when this happened. Figuring out a catom is like unspooling DNA. It takes time. We didn't have it. So please, just relax and let me die quietly."

Outside, the noise of laser fire and explosions intensified. Miyu heard what sounded like cars being crushed in the distance, and she could only hope they were empty. She leaned her head against the wall and held her blaster rifle across her chest. If one of those bots came in here she'd shoot it. She'd shoot it until she ran out of charge, then she'd rush them and take them apart with her bare hands. But only if one of them came in here. Until that happened, she'd do what every other civilian was doing. She'd keep her head down and hope she went unnoticed.

 _Clomp. Clomp. Clomp._

Miyu opened her eyes. "Hear that?"

Fara gave her this look that told Miyu she'd just asked the stupidest question in the universe. Miyu frowned and peeked out from behind cover. Her eyes widened and she muttered a particularly vulgar oath her mother had taught her when she fixed her first car. She'd been seven, and it had stuck as one of her mother's lasting legacies to her daughter.

Seven bugbots stared at her, their weird, diamond shaped heads cocking to the side as they scanned her. Then they lifted their weapon arms and took aim. Miyu heard Fara standing up behind her, ready to face death head on. Miyu wasn't going down without a fight. She brought her rifle up and was about to fire, when a massive blast of green energy streaked through the air. Miyu turned her back, tackled Fara to the ground, and screamed as the heat washed over her back. Then it was gone and she turned to get a look. The bugbots were puddles of fizzling blue goo and, five meters down the street, stood a Landmaster tank. The hatch opened and a white head with a red bow popped out. "Hi honey! Need a lift?"

* * *

A/N: Told y'all. Tiny and badass.

Fay: I'm not tiny!

Uh huh.

As I'm sure you can tell by the title, this is a three part arc. We'll be focusing on some other folks for the next couple of chapters, getting a non-Star Fox perspective on the battle. But fear not! Our intrepid heroes will return soon enough :D

Also, a shoutout to Sgt. Lawson (go read his stuff!) for letting me use his OC, Jennifer Lindholm in these next few chapters! She was, as Fay said, exactly the lesbian I needed to make all of this work.

As ever, thank you all for reading, reviewing, faving and following, I smile every time I update, and I'm glad so many people have been enjoying this story! See you all in a couple weeks, and remember to Live Long and Prosper!

-furfrufrufrufrufhurhegurhgr


	18. Battle of Corneria City 2 of 3

Chapter 18

Battle of Corneria City

2 of 3

The holographic representation of Lylat that floated in front of Vice Admiral Nadira Hatch was a cacophony of flashing red dots, and bright yellow fleet markers. The invaders had come out of nowhere, springing out of the ground in remote places and even population centers. Silver, insectoid robots, wielding weapons that fired exotic particles that bypassed conventional shield technology. Reports had come in that when killed, they often formed into puddles of blue goo and then reconstituted themselves. No one had been able to provide an accurate or precise count of the number of invaders, but judging by the size and amount of the incursions, Nadira estimated they were facing a force in the millions, and growing at a rate she didn't care to contemplate. It all brought back poison memories of the Venomian blitz at the beginning of the Lylat Wars. Worse yet for where Nadira was. Stuck on Corneria, directing things from afar, rather than on the bridge of a ship taking the fight to the damn aliens, or whatever they were.

All around her the war room at the top of the Cornerian Defense Force Tower was a chaos as bad as the battle outside the walls of the compound. They'd all been taken by surprise. There had been no warning, no indication that an attack on this scale was imminent. Rumors were flying that the president had fired every upper echelon intelligence analyst and officer, effective the moment the invasion was over. Nadira liked those rumors, because the only other rumor flying was that President Agnus Vulpine, Lady Titan, who had seen them through the past eight years of reconstruction, was dead.

Pepper walked up next to her and whispered, "We're about to get an update on Corneria City."

Nadira didn't have to ask. On the holo projection the status of Corneria City went from fifty-five percent overrun to sixty-two. Nadira sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Carrier groups are still two hours out."

"Remind me to remind you never to send the fleet away from Corneria again," Pepper muttered bitterly.

Nadira frowned. "We have a responsibility to do more than just babysit Corneria. You know that."

Silence. Then Pepper said, "And in the meantime, while we're safeguarding all of Lylat, Corneria City is about to fall. Again."

Nadira put a hand on his shoulder. "We haven't lost yet."

"Yet," the hound replied, and Nadira couldn't help but sympathize with the bitter sense of defeat that came with the word.

()()()()

Jennifer Lindholm smiled as Fara Phoenix and Miyu Lynx squeezed into what little open space was left inside the Landmaster. Her nostrils flared at the scent of burnt flesh and fur. "Roasted fennec, huh?"

Fara sighed and shoved herself into the smallest space possible, which, given her stature, left plenty of room for the larger Miyu. "Jennifer Lindholm. Do you still have that dragon tattoo on your back?"

"Of course. You want to fly it later?" Lindholm asked, smirking. Back in the Lylat Wars her unit had been assigned as a security detail to Phoenix Corp. It had been a cushy two weeks, and Jenny wasn't ashamed to admit she'd made eyes at Fara more than once. The fennec had an ass that no self-respecting individual would fail to salivate over. It had haunted her dreams for years during the war, and it had helped her through more than one cold night huddled in a sleeping bag. Then she'd gone and got married...

"I don't think my husband would approve." Fara winked at the lioness. "Even if it was fun."

"Aww shucks." Jenny revved up the landmaster's engine and gunned it down the street. Fay started firing, melting bugbots left and right. No matter how many the spaniel wasted though, more sprouted up to take their place. Jenny's mind wandered for a moment to that last night before she shipped out to the front. Two weeks of looks, veiled and, well, not so veiled, innuendos, had ended in one wild night of explosions the size of the ones Fay's work with the plasma cannon was producing. "Tell Bonny he's still a Navy priss. And that he's one lucky son of a bitch."

Fara laughed, then whined as they hit a bump in the road that shook her leg. "He'll be happy to know you still love him."

"That I do." Jenny smiled and gave Fara a warm look. Teasing aside, Jenny was no homewrecker, and Bonny had earned the loyalty of every Marine in the service at Sector Y.

"Sounds like there's a story there," Miyu observed.

"Formation at six o'clock," Jenny called out to Fay.

"Got it." Fay swiveled the cannon and wasted the incoming bugbots with a charge shot. Their remains rained down on them, and had the courtesy not to reconstitute themselves. "Is there a story?"

Fara nodded. "There is. It's not my place to tell though."

"Jenny?" Fay asked, glancing down at her before focusing back on her shooting. Another bugbot melted in a torrent of fire.

"Sure, why not?" Jenny hovered over a pile of debris, and tried not to be distracted by the bodies that were strewn in it. This place was going to hell. No one had been ready for this. When Andross had attacked at the end of the Lylat Wars, there had been some warning. People had been evacuated, and civilian casualties had been what the brass called acceptable, and what Jenny called a war crime. This, however, was different. "Sector Y. My squad was on the battle cruiser _Wellington_. Bonny was a lieutenant, junior grade. We got hit, and the barracks decompressed. I thought for sure we were dead."

Everywhere Jenny looked more of the bugbots were landing, taking off, alighting on balconies and shooting into apartment buildings. She checked her map. They were one kilometer from the CDF headquarters. One kilometer in a city in chaos, with hostiles everywhere they looked. Being surrounded by the heavy armor of a landmaster did little to assuage her anxiety. When Andross had hit, Jenny had been in an APC, cruising down the road, escorting one of the final civilian evacuation trucks. It had all been fine. She'd been entertaining everyone with her with some bawdy songs about busty women, when a pair of Venomian gunships had strafed the road. The civilian truck had exploded, and tipped over the APC they were in. When she'd climbed out and seen what was left of the convoy, she'd wished for a fleeting moment that she'd been in the civvie truck, rather than safe behind eight inches of reinforced battleplate. The images and sounds still haunted her dreams some nights.

"We're all trying to get out," Jenny said. "I've got two greenhorns hanging on by a finger, and I can't get to them. The rest of the squad can make it. But those two, Jackson and Peter, I knew that without a miracle, they weren't making it out."

The tank was silent except for the rumbling of its engines and staccato reports of Fay's plasma cannon. Jenny swore as a group of civilians started running alongside them, trying to hop on and catch a ride. She revved the engines and then kicked on the hover jets. They screamed and cried, she knew, but she couldn't help them. The moment she stopped for anyone, the bugbots would be all over them. And she'd seen what their weapons could do to shields.

"Peter, he's got his mouth open, trying to yell something," Jenny went on, trying to maintain her distance from the memory. The last thing she needed was for everything about that day to come flooding back while she was in combat. If she told the story, it would help her focus, keep her from looking too hard at the new memories she was making. If she lived that memory though... "I think he was crying for his mom." There was no hint of ridicule in her voice. "I think I might have been too, even as me and the other two members of my squad made it to safety."

Half a kilometer now. They were making good time. Better than she'd been anticipating. Around them, Corneria City started to look a little less like a slaughterhouse and more like a battlefield. Knots of Army troopers, Airmen, and even Orbital Drop Troopers that had hurtled down from Navy ships, were trying to move civilians out while mowing down a never ending sea of robots.

No one stopped them or told them to turn around. Landmasters weren't all that common, and these troopers looked like they were getting orders. Comms must have been coming back online. Pepper had probably told everyone to clear any landmaster they saw back to HQ.

"If you've never cold shirted in hard vacuum before, you have maybe six minutes before you're dead," Jenny went on. Four hundred meters and they'd be at the bridge leading to the tower. "Past that, even modern medical science can't thaw you out, save your extremities, or respool your DNA."

Miyu nodded. "Yeah. It's not ideal."

Jenny snorted. "No. Not at all. So, I couldn't go back. I'd be dead before I got them out. Didn't matter much to me. I started going back, when an arm closed around mine and pulled me past the forcefield, and I look up at this Lieutenant. He's an arctic fox. I've never seen him before. He tells me the bridge has been hit, and we're abandoning ship. I can't say anything. I can barely breathe. He pawns me off to a couple of crewmen, and they drag me to the escape pod."

They were out of downtown now. The roads weren't any better, but they could see the HQ tower, rising like a big, silver dildo with a funnel on the top. Jenny kept that description to herself. She wasn't wrong though, Nadira had agreed. "Almost there," Jenny heard Miyu whisper to Fara. Jenny glanced behind her and saw the fennec, eyes closed, and blood on her hands. The wound had been cauterized, but the roads were bumpy, and it had stretched and opened.

"When we launched, I made a solemn vow to kill that lieutenant if I ever saw him again," Jenny continued. "I was certain he'd left Jackson and Peter for dead. Saved his own skin. Probably ran back to his quarters to get his medals, because he's a Brahmin, and they always get fucking medals."

A group of VTOLs hurtled overhead, and Jenny looked up to see what, to the untrained eye, would have appeared to be a meteor shower. It made her smile. Those were ODTs. The craziest sons of bitches in the military. All volunteer Marines, who volunteered to get locked in a coffin size pod, and then shit out of a Navy ship in low orbit. The CDF fleet must have been getting their act together.

"After the battle, we get sent to a medical station above Corneria. I ended up needing a gene treatment for hard radiation exposure," Jenny said. The bridge was ahead. They were almost there. "I asked for the casualty report for the _Wellington_. When I got it I didn't find Jackson or Peter. I was mad as hell. They wouldn't even end up on the list. They had families who needed those benefits. I was about to call the Chief Med Officer for the station, try and clear this up, because I just knew that Brahmin Navy priss left them for dead. Probably didn't report it, when a knock comes at the door."

Jenny started to slow as they approached the bridge. Army troopers were digging in, and light artillery was being set up. VTOLs were landing and disgorging even more troops. One of the troopers took one look at them, pressed his hand to his ear as a transmission came in, and then yelled at them to go. Jenny started moving.

"Who was it?" asked a slightly relieved voice as they rolled across the bridge. Miyu. "At the door, I mean."

Jenny grinned and looked back at her. "Jackson and Peter. Bonny, prissy, Brahmin, Bonny, coldshirted it for five minutes and fifty-five seconds, to rescue those two. He was in the medward intensive care, with five new medals, and a promotion. When he got out, the first thing I did was take him to a tattoo artist, and we put the Raiders emblem right on his arm."

Jenny turned back to the bridge, feeling good. And then she realized her mistake. She'd felt good. She'd let herself think they were safe. Fay yelled "Incoming!" And then the bridge exploded, and everything went black.

* * *

A/N: Hello all! The Battle of Corneria City continues! This chapter introduces us to a new face in Admiral Nadira Hatch. She's a badass, and a new OC of mine. We also get some backstory on Boniface Whitefur, quite possibly my oldest original creation for the Star Fox universe.

Also, there was a question in a review regarding the origins of the names Decius, Fiora, and Zonoc. Decius is a Roman name which I basically just happened to like, and Fiora is a Celtic name that, also, I liked and felt like it fit. As for Zonoc, if you type it into the handy Saurian Translator on the Krystal Archive it will come out as "Jewel." This refers to the Zonoc family's source of wealth, which originally came from large scale farming of Gem planets (as seen in Star Fox: Adventures). And in case anyone is wondering, no, I do not have any officially made nomenclature for Cerinians. It's basically whatever feels right and doesn't sound like something we'd use a lot on Earth. Our names go to the Lylatians.

And with that I'll close this author's note out, and extend a heartfelt thank you to all who read, review, and fav and follow. You guys are awesome and I'll be seeing you again in a couple of weeks for the conclusion of this three parter. But...will the battle for Corneria really be over? Who knows! Until next time...

-general furfurfrufurufutheugeuhguehtiel


	19. Battle of Corneria City 3 of 3

Chapter 19

Battle of Corneria City

3 of 3

72 percent. Nadira bit back a howl of rage. Every ten minutes an update came in on the status of enemy forces in Corneria City, and every ten minutes the Cornerian Defense Force lost ground. Every city block they lost was a city block full of civilians, huddled in their homes, stores, shops, and restaurants, with no one there to cover them. And the bugbots, these damned, cold circuited, technological monstrosities, seemed to have no compunctions when it came to killing civilians. Reports were coming in from everywhere of massacres. Whoever had programmed these things hadn't been looking to make war machines, they'd been looking to make mindless killers. Angry. Mindless. Killers.

An aide shuffled over with a report. Nadira took it and bit her lip when she saw that it was from the Corneria City Police Department. CCPD had been working with Army units to evacuate civilians wherever they could. They'd set up fourteen evac sites throughout the city. Seven of them had gone dark. The other seven were over burdened, and the civilians were getting anxious enough there was real concern they'd start storming the shuttles and buses. If that happened...images of security and military personnel shooting at panicked evacuees rose unbidden to her mind, and Nadira felt bile rise in her throat. "Tell General Clarke that I need her ODTs to start clearing new evacuation zones."

"Aren't they supposed to be leading the counter attack?" the aide asked.

Nadira gave him one of those looks of hers that could melt battle plate. "Relay my orders."

The aide blanched and scurried away. Pepper sidled up next to her. "Go easy on them, they're all terrified," he muttered.

"And I'm not?" Nadira whispered back, her voice harsh. "Clarke is gonna hate it, but the civvies need to be our priority."

Pepper nodded. "I agree. Once we get them out we can worry about taking back the rest of the city."

"And the rest of Lylat?" Nadira asked. Pepper handed her his padd. Nadira checked the map on it and felt her stomach drop. The whole system was red. Every planet. "It's a full scale invasion."

"It is."

And we're losing _._ Nadira didn't say that part out loud. She couldn't bring herself to. Even if they saved Corneria City, all of Lylat was on the verge of falling. The fleet had been out of position, and now the majority of it was steaming back to Corneria, and leaving the rest of the system to its fate. Those had been her orders. Strategically they made sense. Corneria had the largest population, the most industry, the most strategic assets. If this war was going to be won, it would be won from here.

"Fleet will be here in one hour. Once they're here, these bugbots are fried," Nadira said. They'd liberate the city, and then rally for a system wide counterattack. They had the ships, the troops, and the logistical capacity. Once they were in position, there was no foe that could outfight Corneria. Not anymore. There was a reason President Agnus Vulpine had gotten the nickname "Lady Titan."

"Star Fox is out-system, last we heard," Pepper mentioned.

Nadira stared at him for a moment. She could hear the slightest hope in his voice. With comms as spotty as they were, there was an outside chance they were coming back, but hadn't been able to send word. "I was wondering where they were. We can do this without them."

"I know." Pepper took off his hat and rubbed between his ears. He looked tired. Old. Nadira doubted she looked much better, even if she was a lot younger.

Nadira reached out and touched his shoulder. "I know. I wish they were here too." Nadira wasn't so prideful as to say no to the mercenary team's help. She knew how much of a difference they could make. It wasn't just their skill, or their ships, it was the effect they had on the people around him. During the final weeks of the war, Nadira had seen entire crews go from battle weary and exhausted, to the most unshakably determined, energetic fighters she'd ever seen, just from the knowledge that Star Fox was in the adjacent sector.

Pepper's eyes widened, and Nadira frowned. "What is it?"

"DOWN!" Pepper yelled, his voice hoarse but clear. Nadira felt him wrap his arms around her, and then they were on the floor, and everything was heat, noise, and pain.

()()()()

Fay groaned and wiped at her face. It was wet. Why the hell was it wet? And dark. Where was she? Had she been out drinking again? She could smell Miyu. Oh. Maybe that was it then. A bender while she was on leave and...the liquid, it was salty. And cold. Her eyes shot open and she remembered where she was. "Miyu! Fara! Jenny?"

A sound next to her. Miyu shifted and looked at her. "The bridge."

It all came back to Fay. Everything. The battle. The bugbots. They'd been coming in like a swarm of angry wasps. They hadn't been firing weapons. They'd crashed right into the bridge and sliced it in half with their bodies. The impact had thrown the landmaster off. "Oh shit we're sinking."

"How do we get out?" Miyu asked, her voice strong and calm. Not for the first time Fay felt like remarking at how well Miyu would have done in Husky or even Star Fox.

It was dark, and Fay groped around looking for the emergency hatch release. She found it and said, "When I pull this, it's going to flood. Get Jenny, and swim. Can you do that babe?"

Miyu nodded, but she must have realized Fay couldn't really see it. Wrapping her arms around the muscular lioness, who hadn't stirred but was still breathing, she said, "What about Fara?"

"I'll get her. Ready?" Fay tightened her grip on the release lever.

"Ready."

"1. 2. 3." Fay yanked the lever and the hatch exploded outward. Cold, salty, ocean water flooded in, and Fay held her breath. Miyu heaved herself out, pushing against the water with her near super strength, and Fay gave her a final push at the end. The water had filled the entire compartment, and Fay squeezed her eyes shut against the sting as she grabbed Fara.

Fay thanked the deities that Fara was a tiny little fennec. She pushed her way out of the hatch, and she swam for the light ahead of her, opening her eyes and ignoring the pain. Her legs kicked behind her, and she felt Fara start to move. She hadn't had a chance to take in a breath before Fay released the hatch. _Come on, come on._

Darkness encroached on Fay's vision. A few more feet. A few more ruddy feet. She kicked her legs as hard as she could, and then she saw a spotted orange hand reach down into the water for her. She grabbed onto it, and that strong arm pulled her free of the ocean. She gasped, sucking in a breath. Next to her, Fara's eyes opened and she hacked, water coming up from her muzzle. "Agh. Who the hell poured salt on my leg!"

For all that was happening around them, Fay couldn't help but laugh at the fennec's indignation. Miyu did too. It lasted only a moment though, then reality crashed the party. Jenny was bleeding from a head wound. Fay crawled over to her and checked her pulse. Strong and steady. She was breathing too. "Miyu?"

"I got it." Miyu came over and slapped the lioness on the face. A moan. Miyu did it once more and Jenny's eyes opened. Her arms shot out and grabbed the lynx by the throat. Miyu gurgled.

"Hey! Jenny! Stand down!" Fay grabbed the lioness's hands and tried to pry them loose. Jenny's head shifted and she looked at them clearly. She growled and let go.

"Sorry. Instinct. Where are we?"

Fay looked around and her shoulders slumped. They were at the Cornerian Defense Force HQ but...it didn't look like it usually did. "Home."

The tower was on fire. The gardens were wasted. And people were running around trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Fay put her head in her hands and tried to get a hold of the warring emotions of rage, disbelief, and terror that were coursing through her veins. Miyu's arms wrapped around her, and Jenny said, "Yeah. We're not on Papetoon anymore."

()()()()

Nadira hacked and coughed on the thick smoke in the war room. Something heavy was lying on top of her. She rolled it off, then cried out when she realized what it was. "Pepper? Pepper!"

The hound stared up at her with eyes she knew couldn't see. An eight inch shard of glass protruded from his spine, and little flecks and shards were all over his body. His uniform, always freshly pressed, crisp, perfect regulation, was in tatters. He reached out and touched her face. "Nadira?"

Nadira grabbed the hand and squeezed it. She could hear people coming into the room, yelling and trying to find anyone still alive. "Over here!" she screamed, not caring if it was against the dignity of her rank.

"Nadira. Listen to me." Pepper pulled her close to his muzzle. Nadira strained to hear the whispery words he spoke. "Lead...them on. Chief." His strength went slack, and Nadira saw his eyes close. His breathing was shallow, and Nadria knew if he didn't get help...

A medic came over, and Nadira jerked away from the body. "Help him!" Tears were streaming down her eyes, and a hot, bloody, rage was filling her heart. She would kill whoever had done this. She would kill them, and then she would dance on their grave. And no matter how much it cost, she would avenge this day.

"Ma'am?"

Nadira's eyes tracked across the ruined war room. It was a total loss. Flames licked at the edges of consoles, and the acrid scent of melting plastic and burning fur filled her nostrils. She breathed it in, she wanted to remember it. She wanted to remember the moment when she won this war.

"Ma'am? Ma'am!"

Nadira whirled around, the voice finally penetrating the haze that had settled on her mind. It was the same aide she had chewed out earlier. A wiry feline from the signal corps. His fur was covered in soot, and his eyes were streaming from the smoke. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Ensign Haverson. Elim Haverson. Ma'am, the President." He held out a comm unit.

"You're promoted to full Lieutenant, and personal aide to the Defense Force Chief of Staff." Nadira took the comm unit from him and held it to her ear. "Ma'am?"

"Nadira. We just got communications back in the Bunker. Situation?"

Agnus Vulpine's voice was calm and cold as steel. Lady Titan was alive and well. "Pepper is wounded... I don't know if he'll survive."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then Agnus said, "Then you've just inherited his responsibilities. Turn this around Admiral. You have full authorization to take whatever steps you feel are necessary."

"You want me to throw the rulebook out the window?" Nadira asked.

"Burn it," Agnus responded. "We'll turn this around."

"Yes ma'am." Haverson tapped her on the shoulder and held out a padd with a communication from the Navy ships on their way. Nadira scanned it. Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Fleets were still fifty minutes out . Then what was so important that they'd send a signal marked priority 1? "Ma'am? I think we just won."

"Oh?"

Nadira smiled, baring her predator's fangs. "Star Fox has arrived."

()()()()

Surrounded by ODTs and medics, Jennifer Lindholm didn't feel any safer than when she'd been drowning in the ocean. She could hear the fight outside, the chaos, and she could smell the blood and burning flesh. At the end of the Lylat Wars she'd been nearing the end of her second tour of duty. She'd been offered the chance to re-up. She had considered it until she'd found out most of her squad was being promoted and given their own units. She would be promoted to platoon leader if she signed on. She remembered that moment of decision.

 _Staff Sergeant Jennifer Lindholm stared the papers in front of her. One signature and she was set. She'd have a job for the next four years, a promotion, a pay raise. A platoon full of greenhorns to shepard. She'd be on her way to being the career Marine she'd always expected she'd be. The career Marine her mother had been._

 _A hand settled on her shoulder. She looked behind her and smiled at her mom. She was a grizzled vet. More tattoos than natural fur color per square inch. That rough hewn face that drove her father wild. "Jenny?"_

 _"I'm gonna do it, mom," Jenny replied, smiling reassuringly._

 _Her mother smiled back and sat down beside her. "A whole platoon. You'll have to listen to the LT but..."_

 _"Yeah. He's a new guy. Fresh out of OCS. He'll need me more than I need him." Jenny sighed and leaned back on the couch. Outside she could hear a car going by on the street outside their house. A little two bedroom, one story in the suburbs. She'd grown up here with mama Marine and papa bartender. Mama had been off on tour most of her life, and papa had provided the sort of nurturing attention every little girl or boy needed. But mama had always sent letters, pictures, and called at every opportunity. When Jenny was fifteen mama had retired from frontline service and taken a position as a drill sergeant at Wildwood Marine boot camp, outside the city._

 _"What is it?"_

 _Jenny closed her eyes, and thought about everything she'd been through. Those desperate first years, as Andross's forces stormed across the system, taking one planet after another. And then the last year, as the noose closed around Corneria, and all that stood in the way was Katina, Meteo, and the fleet at Sector Y. They'd all been convinced they were going to lose. No Marine would say it, and Jenny wouldn't even think it, but they'd all felt it. They were all going to die. She'd seen more friends die than survive. Some of them fast, others bleeding out in the trenches. She remembered holding veterans like her mother in her arms, watching them cry and clutch at her as they felt the last life seep out of them. Others had stayed stoic and defiant, promising to haunt the enemy until the end of time. In the end, they'd all died. Some younger than her, some older, and she could never decide which ones hurt more. The ones who had never gotten to have as many birthdays she had, or the ones who had survived so much, only to lose it all in the end._

 _"I'm done," Jenny whispered. She didn't look at her mother. She knew what she'd see. Disappointment, disapproval. Hurt that her daughter could be so weak._

 _"Jenny." Her mother put a hand on her cheek and turned her head to meet her gaze. Jenny felt tears well in her eyes when she saw the love and understanding there. Jenny wrapped her arms around her mother in a hug, and she knew that she'd been wrong. Her mother understood. She was done. The war was over, and it was time for peace. In that moment, Jenny accepted that she was allowed to be a part of it. She laughed, and her mother laughed with her, holding her tight and whispering to her how okay it was._

"Jenny? Jenny?"

Jenny opened her eyes and looked up at the face of Fay Spaniel. She was so young. She'd seen more violence in this one day than anyone should have to see in a lifetime. And yet she was smiling, grinning, beaming, her tail wagging at a thousand miles per hour. Jenny looked around and saw that the other ODTs were suddenly in high spirits. They were checking their weapons, pulling charging handles, and grinning behind their helmets. "What is it?"

Fay took her hand and pulled her off the cot that the medics and put her on, along with a number of other injured deemed non-critical. "Come on. We don't wanna miss them."

Jenny let herself be dragged from the tent. Miyu was standing outside, and Fara was leaning on a pair of crutches, a bandage around her leg. "Here they come," Miyu said.

A sonic boom echoed out over the ocean, and Jenny turned towards the sound. Her muzzle split in a grin as she spotted the tiny dots on the horizon, quickly growing larger. "Son of a bitch."

The cheers of the ODTs around them were drowned out by the sound of engines as four Arwings, a pink Venomian Invader, and a starfighter Jenny didn't recognize streaked overhead, followed by at least two hundred Navy fighters.

Star Fox had arrived. And, all of a sudden, Jenny knew they'd be okay.

* * *

A/N: Well, I wonder who that could be?

With this little mini arc done we'll be returning to our main characters for the remainder of the story. Fox, Krystal, and the rest of the crew have got some work to do, and a lot of people to save.

A big thanks again to Sgt. Lawson for allowing me to use his OC Jennifer Lindholm in these chapters. They wouldn't have worked without her.

Also, as always, a massive thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, and favs and follows. I smile every time I see the notice pop up in my inbox. You guys are the best!

Before I go, I'd just like to say keep on the lookout next Thursday for a new fic of mine going up! Star Fox: Kidnapped will be launching next Thursday, and updates will alternate with the Storm, so expect to see updates to it on the weeks when Storm would be off. It's a pretty exciting story, and I think you'll all enjoy it, especially if you love Krystal.

See you all next week! And have a fantastic time in between :D

-furfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfurfur


	20. Turning the Tide 1 of 2

Chapter 20

Turning the Tide

1 of 2

Krystal stared at the Luminary. It sat on a metal stand in the _Great Fox_ 's laboratory. She had been puzzling over it for most of the journey back to Lylat, staring at it, trying to touch it and communicate mentally with whatever was sending the signal on the other side. In that brief moment when she'd realized what was happening back on the space station, she had felt a presence, one she hadn't felt since the death of her world. She'd felt her mother. She hadn't told anyone yet, not even Fiora. She wasn't even sure she'd really felt it, it had been so fleeting. Until she was sure, she wanted to keep it to herself. If she told anyone it would only distract from the bigger problems they were facing.

Slippy had coaxed a great deal of energy out of the engines, and the trip had been faster than anyone could have hoped. Fox thought they might even be in time to make a difference. Despite that confident exterior she knew he'd been worried. Whatever Slippy had done, it meant the engines would need to be entirely replaced, but they were on their way, and they were going to make it.

Krystal sighed, head resting on her arms as she continued to regard the Luminary. On Cerinia, if she had found an artifact like this, she would have been able to demand half the world in exchange for a chance to try and probe its secrets. In all of Cerinian history, only two Luminaries had ever been found, and both had been lost. One in ancient times, and the other during an ill fated exploratory mission, during one of the early phases of Cerinian space flight. It had been stolen by an enemy whose name had been lost to time. A fleet had mounted a rescue attempt, but the ship it was on had been destroyed before they could retrieve it. Some thought it was divine punishment by the Krazoa for its theft. Krystal had a feeling it was just sloppy navigation that had gotten the ship lost in an asteroid field.

For centuries her people had told stories of that Luminary. Legends had evolved around the idea that its return would be a portent of the future. A brighter future, in which her people's arcane powers would be fully unlocked, and the secrets of the Krazoa finally revealed to them.

Her tail flicked. If her mother was here she wondered what she would say. Would she think this was the Luminary her people had lost back then, returned as a good omen? Or would she think it was merely another Luminary, of no more or less special significance than any other that might exist in the galaxy? In the end, did it matter?

The gem in the center continued to flash, slow and steady. She heard whispers from it, but they were too soft and distant for her to make out the words, or even the tone. She'd been trying for hours, focusing all of her energies on it, trying to draw out that feeling again, that sense that her mother was on the other side. Her eyes glowed as she tried again, concentrating, and utilizing a level psionic force that only one other living Cerinian could match. "Matem."

Nothing. The whispers seemed to retreat even further. Krystal huffed and gave up, leaning back in the folding chair she was sitting in. She tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling, with its bright white lights, and let down her defenses. Her awareness expanded throughout the ship, touching on everything, but diving into nothing. She sense Falco and Katt. They were being intimate. Or whatever passed for it for the two of them. She smiled, then moved on, letting the two have some privacy. Slippy's mind was full of frustrated determination. He was going to get everything he could out of those engines, she knew. Fiora was in the gym, going through practice motions with her sword, and working up a sweat. It was the only way her sister had ever been able to relax. Fox was on the bridge, alongside Peppy. The two of them were deep in conversation, and for a moment she saw with Fox's eyes. He was looking at a map of Lylat, and the amount of red on it was sending pulses of worry down his spine. She let him be. He didn't need her peering over his shoulder. If there was anything she needed to know, he would let her know when the time was right.

Her mother was on a beach, sunbathing, a bare breasted vixen next to her. Siona. Probably another of her mother's little meditative fantasies. She enjoyed trading notes with the goddess on intimacy and... "Mother!"

Krystal sat bolt upright, sending sand flying in every direction. A cool breeze washed over her fur, and her tail swished behind her. Men, women, and children, played and swam on the beach, enjoying the cool waters of Cerinia's planetary ocean. Next to her, Sapphire Zonoc sat up and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "Krystal? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Mother?" Krystal shook her head. This couldn't be real. She'd fallen asleep. This was all a dream. "Mother, where are we?"

"Narala beach," Sapphire said, standing up and wrapping her daughter in a hug. "It was always my favorite place to come and relax. You see those bushes over there?" Krystal turned to where Sapphire was pointing and nodded her head. The vixen pulled away and put her hands on her hips. "Yes, those ones. The things your father did to me back there. And we had to be very quiet..."

"Mother." Krystal frowned.

"Oh. Sorry. I do ramble." Sapphire beamed at her daughter. "You'll understand once you find a mate. Find a good one dear. A regular stud. But don't forget to find one whose compassionate. It's not all about endurance and raw size and all that nonsense about only rough lovers being good. No, find one who cares about you..."

"Mother!" Krystal yelled, and Sapphire stepped back a bit. A strange expression crossed her face for a moment, and then she was back to being happy Sapphire.

"What is it dear?"

"This can't be real." Krystal waved her hand at the beach. The people. The green palm trees in the distance. "None of this is real."

Sapphire narrowed her eyes. "Of course it is dear."

"No. No it can't be." Krystal reached out and put her hands on her mother's shoulders. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" When Cerinians dreamed the experience was vivid, and lucid. This had all the appearances of a dream, and Krystal felt in control, but her mother had taught her and all of her offspring how to make sure. Dream hijacking and infiltration was not uncommon, and Sapphire Zonoc had had enemies on Cerinia. Enemies who wouldn't have been opposed to such methods.

"Yes. You are." Sapphire pulled away.

"Then why are you pulling away?"

"Because I wish to." Sapphire shook her head and took another step back. Krystal saw the image of Siona behind her, pulling her mother in towards her voluptuous form.

"But I don't. And it's my dream. Come here." Krystal put every ounce of force she could muster into those words. She made them a command. It was her dream, her mother would do what she said.

Then Siona spoke. But it wasn't Siona. It had none of the warmth and love and husky, lusty, innuendo in it. "Leave. Now. You're mother is happy. Leave her in peace."

"No." Krystal shook her head. Everyone on the beach and stopped and was now watching the confrontation. Even the palm trees had leaned towards them. "I want my mother to come here. Now."

For a moment Sapphire seemed to want the same. She moved towards her daughter, and then Siona caught her arm. Sapphire fought it for a moment, then stopped and gave in, staring adoringly into the eyes of her goddess. "You see?" Siona said. "Your mother is happy here. Leave."

The wind began to blow, like the gale of a hurricane. She heard the sounds of a storm, and she felt a crippling fear. She reached out and tried to get to her mother. She wanted her mother. She wanted the woman who's embrace could make all the fear of the storm she felt go away. "Matem!"

Sapphire met her gaze, but instead of pulling Krystal in, she yelled, fighting to be heard over the wind, "Where is here?"

"What?" Narala beach? Right. Everything was getting foggy. Rain pelted her, and she realized she was naked. She began to shiver. The sand became muddy and she felt her feet begin to sink.

"Where is here!" Sapphire screamed, saying it over and over, until Siona silenced her with a kiss. That broke Krystal from out of the fog. Siona would never do such a thing. Sapphire was mated. Siona confined her lusts to the unmated, teaching and guiding them on the path to love and fulfilment.

Her mind clear, Krystal shouted, "WHERE IS HERE?"

The Luminary burst into pieces, and Krystal shot backwards out of her chair, buffeted by a sudden wind. Her head knocked against the wall, and she groaned from the pain. She'd have a right nasty lump there in the morning. What the hell happened?

"Here is here."

A voice, sweet and familiar, her mother's, whispered in her ear, and Krystal saw an image of a green and blue planet. Wild and full of life like Cerinia. Krazoa buildings towered up out of the foliage, and dinosaurs fluttered in the sky, singing songs like the CloudRunners on Sauria. Then she whispered the name of the world, unbidden. "X-83."

()()()()

Fox growled and squeezed the edges of the control console. Lylat was in peril. He'd been gone a day and in that time the system that he loved so dearly, and had devoted his life to protecting, had been invaded, and was already on the verge of total defeat. "Corneria is gonna put everything they have into retaking Corneria City, I assume," Fox said.

Next to him, Peppy, his mentor and, in some ways, surrogate father, nodded solemnly. "They've pulled back almost eighty percent of their fleet. If it wasn't already engaged, it's one its way home."

"And the rest of Lylat burns." Fox hung his head, then added, "It hardly seems fair."

Peppy reached out and touched Fox on the shoulder. "It isn't fair, but it also isn't wrong. If we're going to stand a chance of taking back the system..."

"I know." Fox straightened up and schooled his features into the grim look of acceptance and determination his father, James McCloud, had always shown him before a mission. "If we hold Corneria, we can take back the system. So that's what we're going to do. Have we heard anything from central command?"

Peppy shook his head. "Comms are a mess all over the system. ROB is sending continuous hails on all military channels, but so far it's all getting lost in the soup."

Fox grimaced. "How long until we reach Corneria ROB?"

"One hour and fifteen minutes," ROB informed him, his voice as artificial and collected as always.

Fox nodded and sat down in his Captain's chair. He drummed his fingers on the arm rest. There wasn't much to do but wait. They couldn't make plans until they got in touch with someone in command, and they couldn't fight until they reached Corneria. For now, all they could do was wait.

Silence encroached on the bridge, and Fox found himself reflecting on how familiar this all felt. Back when he was eighteen and leading a newly formed, untested, Star Fox team, things had been going almost as badly as they were now. He would never forget that message he had received from General Pepper, calling for help, and admitting that the Cornerian army alone wouldn't he enough to stop Andross's forces from overrunning Corneria.

For Fox, the moment he had received that message was burned into his memory. He could see himself in that moment, standing on the bridge of the _Great Fox_ , and feeling a peculiar mixture of dread, anticipation, and paradoxical serenity. His moment, which he had been training for for the past five years, as his father's murderer plundered the Lylat System, had finally arrived.

In the eight years since then, Fox had never felt that feeling again. No mission or battle had brought the same mixture of emotions that the final weeks of the Lylat War, in which he and his team had turned the tide against Venom and its maniacal Emperor, had brought.

At first it had disappointed him. He'd grown depressed, moody, and had had more than one fight with Falco come to blows. Falco had complained bitterly that Fox's "hero complex" was making it so that he turned up his nose at any mercenary work that seemed too mercenary. And it was true. Fox had turned down more than a few jobs that would have made the team easy money because the employer seemed dubious, or the job was too shady. And maybe Falco had been right when he had said that it was a mistake. Shortly after the avian had left the team to go with Katt and her Hot Rodders, the job offers had all but dried up. General Pepper had managed to throw them some light duty, anything he could find, really, that had kept the lights on. But, by the time the Saurian mission had come around, Fox had been giving serious, although private, thought to disbanding the team.

Things had changed though. Sauria had given them a big enough payday to reinvent themselves. They were famous again, and Fox knew he had a backlog of job offers sitting in his inbox. Falco had returned too, and Fox had welcomed him back. He hoped he didn't regret it. Falco could be flighty, though if he had told the avian that it would have gotten him a middle finger and a filed complaint titled "racist comment" with an image of another middle finger attached and nothing else. Fox sighed. Maybe he should have thought that decision through a bit more.

Of course, one other thing had happened with the conclusion of the Sauria mission, something that had changed Fox's life completely. Krystal. When she'd come aboard it had felt as if the whole room had changed. Things had felt charged with an energy he had never felt before, but desperately wanted to get more of. Her voice had been like the sweetest music he had ever heard, and her laugh had melted whatever jaded ice had formed around his heart and soul in the years since the war. Even her scent had sent shivers of happiness down his spine. Breathing in her presence was like smelling his first breath of fresh air after being trapped inside for a year. Her hair, short and straight, would smell like pears or cinnamon apples, depending on her mood when she showered in the morning. He'd learned to tell her disposition by that scent. Pears if she felt sweet and indulgent, and cinnamon apple if she was feeling spicy and ready to kick tail.

He closed his eyes and thought of her. He thought about their experience in the decon chamber. The first time they'd been nude in the other's presence. Her body, athletic, a warrior's build, but still unable or unwilling to hide her supple, feminine, curves. So many thoughts and urges had gone through his mind in those eternal minutes. When he'd gotten a free few moments afterward, he had fervently enjoyed those memories. Privately, Krystal had whispered that she'd done the same, which had nearly made him choke on his food at the dinner table that night.

Krystal. In just a few short months she had gone from a refugee searching for the answer to her dead world, to a member of Star Fox. And a member of the team that made him wonder how they had ever managed without her before. Already her presence seemed to signal the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. Fox no longer felt the burning desire for revenge, or the bitter disappointment of the life he'd had afterwards. He woke up every morning now with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, ready and eager to meet the inevitable challenges that came with being alive.

So, this moment, with Lylat on the brink, and the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, may have felt familiar, but it also felt new. He wasn't in this for his own desire for revenge. He wasn't in this to make money. He wasn't even in this to save the world. He was in this for Krystal. Because this all meant something for her. This would be the answer to how and why her world had died. At the end of this, it might even be the moment she could be reunited with those she loved most. In these few short months, she had given him a new reason to live. A new reason to _be_. Be the best that he could be. Help the most that he could. And save all that he could. Because this was her life too. And he wanted it to be the best life she could ever hope for. _Because I'm in love with her. And there's nothing more important anymore._

His ears perked when the doors to the bridge opened. He opened his eyes and turned to look. He saw Krystal, looking like she'd just taken a nasty tumble, and with that wild, determined, expression that told him how serious what she was about to say was. He stepped over to her and asked, "What is it?"

Krystal stopped and fixed her gaze squarely on his. "Fox. I know where they are, and I know how to stop this. All of this."

Fox didn't break eye contact. He nodded. "Explain."

"I had a vision. A... communication, with my mother," Krystal began. She proceeded to describe the experience in full detail, not leaving out a thing. "Fox, they're using my mother's abilities to coordinate what's happening. She's channeling the telepathic commands that that Luminary was picking up. I think she broke it to stop the thing on the other side from using it against us."

"Alright. How do we stop them, then?" Fox asked. Peppy was leaning forward, but also keeping a respectful distance. This was their conversation, clearly.

Krystal took a breath and collected her thoughts. "If we can get to my mother, and free her and the other Cerinians, then Yarus won't be able to communicate with his army anymore. They'll be stopped cold. And all at once. Like taking the queen bee away from the swarm."

Fox thought about this. It could work. If what she was saying was true, and he had no reason to think it wasn't, then they could win this war in one move. Instant checkmate. "You have a location?"

"Yes." Krystal nodded. "Before she broke the Luminary, my mother whispered the name of the world to me. X-83."

Fox looked at Peppy, and the hare held up a finger as he searched the navigation charts. "A ha!" He tapped a control and a map of the galaxy popped up, showing the location of the world. "A little far. But still local. Definitely in range for a strike from Lylat."

"There's only one problem." Fox frowned. "Our engines are going to be fried. We melted them to get here this fast. There's no way we'd make it there. Period."

Krystal seemed to deflate. "If we can't get there and break the connection, this won't work."

Fox considered the problem, running through their options. "Krys, if these things are telepathically controlled, do you think you could shut them down locally?"

Krystal cocked her head. "Locally? The probes?" Fox nodded. "I could interrupt the signal, sure. Probably long enough to figure a way to destroy the probe. That would then disable any units spawned from there. But there are hundreds of them all over Lylat, I could never get to them all."

Fox smiled. "We only need one."

"Corneria City?"

"Bingo." Fox wagged his tail. "If we take that one out, we can secure Corneria, and give Lylat a fighting chance. And, we could find a ship to get us to X-83."

Krystal's muzzle formed its own smile. "That we could."

Fox turned to Peppy. "Get everyone up here. We have a plan."

()()()()

Krystal went through her pre-flight checks with an almost robotic consistency. She wasn't paying any more attention to them than she absolutely needed to. Instead she was thinking about what they were about to be flying into.

Krystal had been in combat. She'd fought and been injured and killed in self-defense. But, in her all too short life, she'd never been in an actual battle. A battle between two opposing armies, with a city full of civilians caught in the middle. She had never faced the prospect of fighting for her life on this scale. And not just her life, or the lives of her team. She would be fighting to protect the lives of millions of innocent people. It was a daunting prospect.

Her commboard flashed and she tapped the answer button. A private channel opened, and Fox's voice, full of strength and calm, filled her cockpit. "You okay?"

Krystal took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I'll be fine."

"I know you will." She could sense Fox's smile on the other end of the channel. She could feel his confidence in her radiating from his Arwing, only a few handfuls of meters distant. She let it wash over her and overcome her fears and anxieties. He believed in her, and she believed in herself. Everything else was only academic.

"Does it get easier?" she asked.

"No," Fox said, serious. "Never."

"Well that's lovely," Krystal replied.

Fox chuckled. "You do get used to it, though. You're gonna do great. And me and the rest of the team? We'll be right there. Okay?"

"Okay." Krystal smiled. Only a few months had passed and yet it was like they'd known each other for years. He knew what to say, and when to say it, and how to say it. His voice and his confidence made all the difference in the world for her. "I love you."

She heard his breath hitch, barely audible but she knew what to listen for. It made her tail wiggle in satisfaction that those words sent a little shiver of surprise and warmth up his spine. "I love you, too."

They were quiet for a moment, and then Fox closed the private channel and opened up the teamcomm. "Alright everyone, you know the situation, you know the plan. You know that this whole battle hinges on us. Is everyone ready?" A chorus of yeses answered him. "ROB, cut us loose."

ROB's voice came through the cockpit speakers. "Lift lock, released."

Beneath her the Arwing trembled as the tensor fields and latches that held it in place inside the hangar retreated, leaving nothing left but the launcher rail between her and open space. From the bridge, Peppy said, "Good luck everyone. And be safe."

"Will do Peppy," Fox replied.

Peppy responded by giving the order, "Launch all ships."

Krystal's back pressed against the cushion of her acceleration chair, and the hangar disappeared behind her as the Arwing was flung like a baby bird from the safety and security of the mothership's nest. Beside her came her teammates, Fox, Falco, and Slippy in Arwings identical to hers. Meanwhile her sister, Fiora, and Katt, took up the far flanks, both in their own custom ships. Fiora in her Cerinian battlefighter, and Katt in her heavily modified Invader-class _Catspaw_.

It was a funny thing, Fiora's spacefighter. It reminded Krystal of the CloudRunners that lived on Sauria and, at one point, on her own world. The wings, with their forward sweep, and the cockpit nestled over and between them, were unlike anything Lylat had produced. Slippy had asked what class it was, when he had been modifying it up to Star Fox standards, and Fiora had simply shrugged and said, "I named it _Vengeance._ " Krystal had stepped in and informed the amphibian that all Cerinian ships were custom made, and that no two were ever exactly alike.

Ahead of them, space opened up and the blue orb of Corneria grew rapidly larger. Around them hundreds of spaceships, from small escort corvettes, to massive battleships and carriers, fell behind them, their large hulls unable to keep up with the swift starfighters. The sight still awed Krystal though. She'd never seen a fleet this large. To think that a single planet could be so powerful. "Amazing."

"Watch it Blue," Falco said. "Your jaw is through your bomb launcher."

"At least I didn't get my beak stuck in a cereal box," Krystal shot back.

Katt's laugh, delicate and feminine, and one of several that she possessed, tinkled across the comms. "Aw. He looked so cute when we walked in on him."

"I did not," Falco huffed. "And hey, shouldn't we be keeping comm lines clear right now?"

"I think this is pretty vital information," Fox ruled. He then sent out a text alert to their commboards that said: You reap what you sow. Everyone but Falco snickered.

When they entered Corneria's atmosphere they formed up with a flight of Navy fighters that would form the spearhead of the Cornerian counterattack. Behind them, looking like massive balls of flame as they entered the atmosphere, were half a dozen assault frigates, the largest Cornerian ships capable of proper atmospheric operation. They would provide heavy gun support, and would hang over the remaining evacuation sights as both protection, and a reminder for those on the ground to stay calm and keep things orderly.

When they broke through the clouds and caught sight of Corneria City for the first time, Krystal had to hold back a cry of alarm and anger. Gone was the beautiful jewel of Lylat she'd lived in since meeting Fox. In its place was smoke and flames from a thousand blazes, streets choked with abandoned cars and fleeing people. Weapons fire could be seen crisscrossing between buildings, stitching the once calm and sedate streets with laser sharp death.

Around her Krystal sensed the shift in the mood of both the team, and the Navy pilots surrounding them. Any exuberant expectations of heroism and glory melted away, replaced by righteous fury and a burning desire for revenge. Krystal had always known the Cornerians to be a peaceful people, but she realized now that that was not their only capacity. Push them far enough, and they were capable of going to whatever lengths necessary to protect their people, and resist the tyranny of terror that had been inflicted on them on more than one occasion.

Static crackled from her cockpit speakers as Star Fox and the Navy flight came screaming over the remains of the Cornerian Defense Force Headquarters. Krystal felt a wave of distress from the team at the sight of the top of the noble tower in flames. "This is Bill Grey to anyone in the counterattack that can hear me. Be advised that the enemy is using weaponry that bypasses shields. Shields have no effect on their weapons."

"Bill?" Fox said, his voice full of relief and recognition. "Is that you buddy?"

"Fox! Thank God. Like old times?" Bill replied.

"Looks like it. We're about to engage, wanna give us some help?" Fox asked.

"My squadron is pretty banged up, but we'll lend a hand," Bill responded.

"Great. Alright Star Fox," Fox said, his voice charged with energy. "I see 'em up ahead. Let's rock and roll!"

()()()()

Fiora could sense her sister's distress as her boots hit the ground. Around them Corneria City looked nothing like the pictures she'd been shown. And the aura it projected reminded her uncomfortably of the one Tenked had possessed in its final hours. In fact, it was so distracting that Fiora had to close her mind to it almost entirely. She didn't need to sense all the death to know that it was happening, and she didn't need to feel the terror to know that it was there. In battle and situations such as this, psionic auras weren't much more than noise.

The area around Phoenix Corp headquarters was strangely quiet, and Fiora's mind immediately made the analogy of the eye the storm. Because what was happening only a few blocks away was certainly a storm. These bugbots were like a force of nature, like a plague sent from that distant world Krystal had identified before Star Fox had joined the battle. Up above her, Fox and the team, along with Bill Grey and the Cornerian Defense Force, were battling swarms of the things. Fiora almost felt guilty standing here, when there was so much fighting going on above and around her.

Krystal jogged over to her, staff in hand, and said, "ODTs will be landing in one minute. We've been ordered to wait for them."

Fiora nodded and looked up at the building they were here to take. Deep inside, in a laboratory, was the source of all this, and yet it seemed strangely unprotected. "Odd design for a building."

Krystal shook her head. "It didn't look like that before."

"Oh." That made more sense. The blue, scintillating mass was actually covering what had once been a far more ordinary building in Corneria City. Whatever it had once looked like, it was now more of a strange blue blob, that almost appeared to pulse and sway with a life of its own.

"Do you sense it?" Krystal asked.

Fiora shook her head. "I've closed my mind. I can't filter the way you can."

"Not telepathy."

Fiora was about to ask what she meant when she realized what her sister was referring to. She was about to comment when a sound like rolling thunder filled the air, and a shadow fell over the parking lot they'd landed in. Fiora looked up as an assault frigate steamed over them, and ejected more than a hundred, small, coffin sized pods from its belly, before continuing on. The pods deployed chutes and thrusters, and then crashed with enough force to shake the ground beneath her feet and send flecks of pavement flying into the air. The pods opened, their hatches clattering to the ground, and heavily armored, heavily armed, men and women burst out of them. Officers shouted commands and the troopers began to fan out, securing the landing zone, and setting up a perimeter.

An officer with a long, sinuous, feline tail jogged over to them, saluted, and then pulled off his helmet, showing an attractive but careworn face, with hair cut in a severe military fashion. "I'm Captain Davies, leader of Boomerang Company, 405th ODT Brigade. How can we assist ma'am?"

Fiora watched as Krystal gave orders. Her voice was clear and confident, though Fiora knew behind it her sister was trying not to let on how surreal and frightening it felt to be in her position. Ever the soldier, Fiora had always been content to follow orders and support her fellow warriors. She could command when the situation required it, but she preferred the simplicity of being given a target and then told to destroy it. Krystal had inherited more of the leadership gene from their mother and father.

When Krystal had finished giving instructions Davies nodded, replaced his helmet, and gathered up a squad. "Charlie, get ready to breach that door. Star Fox needs to get to that probe, and it's your job to make sure they get there. Oo-rah?"

"Oo-rah, sir!"

Charlie squad stacked up at the entrance, and Fiora and Krystal took up a position behind them. The demolition expert started applying explosive charges, and Krystal glanced at her sister once again, significance in her eye. Fiora nodded and set her hand on the wall. She closed her eyes and tried to press against it with her telekinesis. It didn't give. In fact, it pushed back. Suddenly Fiora realized what Krystal had been trying to tell her. "Telekinesis. It's all being held together telekinetically."

In front of them the squad leader, a squat female avian, judging by the shape of her helmet, her nameplate read Silvia, said, "What does that mean?"

Fiora frowned and said, "It means trouble. And it means this building isn't undefended."

"Bots?" Silvia asked.

"Worse."

The demo expert nodded and Silvia said, "What could be worse? Blow it."

Another nod from the demo expert, and the doors blew inward. And, as if they had just kicked a living nest of hornets, the building came alive, and an ear splitting screech came from all over the city. Fiora covered her ears and yelled, "This!"


	21. Turning the Tide 2 of 2

Chapter 21

Turning the Tide

2 of 2

"Fox, two on your tail."

"I see them." Fox's muzzle was set in a grimace of concentration. He'd never seen this many enemies before. Even Andross's invasion eight years ago paled in comparison. It had taken an hour to punch a whole wide enough for Krystal and Fiora to land, and they'd lost two squadrons doing it. Now they were fighting a desperate battle to keep that hole open, so that the ground teams didn't get swarmed by aerial bugbots.

A pair of purple laser beams streaked by his cockpit, missing by a mere handful of inches. Fox put his nose down and dove towards the skyscrapers of Corneria City. He dodged and weaved as more fire poured up at him, and then swooped below one of the city's raised skystreets. Behind him the two bugbots continued pursuit, but Fox was ready for them. Rather than continuing up and back into open sky, he looped around the skystreet, doing a complete circle and ending up behind them. He locked on with his lasers and let loose with a flurry of blue, hyper charged, bolts, melting the bugbots beyond any hope of reconstitution.

"Pretty smooth flying, Fox," Falco said on the comm, his compliment dripping with the usual sarcasm.

"Thanks Falco," Fox replied. He kicked his engines into overdrive and headed back up into the main battle. In the streets below, battalions of Marines and Army troopers, supported by hot dropping platoons of ODTs, were pushing deeper into the city while they had a bit of momentum. The arrival of the main Cornerian fleet, along with the close gunnery support of the hovering assault frigates, had finally given units on the ground an advantage, or at least a level playing field. Despite that, Fox cringed to think how heavy the casualties were going to end up being.

Rejoining the main battle, Fox opened fire on the first formation of bugbots he saw. He scored two direct hits, but the other members of the formation quickly broke off, all heading in separate directions. The more Fox fought them, the more obvious it was to him how right Krystal was. These things flew and dodged and fired and fought with such perfect coordination, it really did seem as if one mind was controlling them all. Fox could see the advantages. With one single, coordinating intelligence, there would be no hesitation to carry out dangerous or even suicidal orders. Since there was no chain of command up which orders or new tactical ideas had to be sent, response to new situations and advantages were instantaneous. And, since command of the battle was not reliant on anyone but the coordinator, with no possibility of miscommunication, fewer mistakes were likely to be made overall.

"Fox?" Slippy's voice came through the cockpit speakers. Fox recognized the slightly higher than normal pitch, and knew what words were going to follow. "Can you get this guy off me Fox?"

"I'm on it." Fox tracked Slippy's position on radar, and scythed his way through a group of bugbots that tried to cut across his path. Slippy was flying in an erratic pattern of evasive maneuvers that made Fox grit his teeth. If he used his laser cannons he was as likely to clean Slippy's tail as he was to singe it, with the way the toad was bouncing around completely at random. That left only one option.

Fox toggled his weapons control to the nose cannon, and held down the trigger. A red, coruscating ball of spun plasma began to build up around the cannon, held together by a magnetic field that would also allow it to track its targets for pinpoint accuracy. The charge shot also had the advantage of being able to wipe out small groups of tightly clustered enemies all at once, such as the trio of bugbots that were chasing after Slippy.

The words "Target Locked" flashed across Fox's targeting screen, and he let go of the trigger. The charge shot pulsed out, carving a path of superheated air right to the center of the hostile formation. It hit, and the center bugbot melted completely, while the other two lost their left and right sides, respectively, and tumbled towards the unforgiving ground. Slippy streaked off, doing a jaunty barrel roll that was about the only maneuver the toad could consistently pull off. "Thanks Fox."

"No problem, Slip," Fox said. "Keep to the edge of the battle, like we planned," he reminded the amphibian.

"Right." The toad made a beeline for the outer part of the fight, where the weapons fire and enemies were less thick.

Falco's comm beacon flashed, and Fox tapped the control for the private frequency the avian was requesting. "You shouldn't let him fly."

"He's fine Falco, as long as he doesn't get carried away," Fox replied. He and Falco had been having this fight since before the Lylat Wars. And Fox's mind hadn't changed. Nor had Falco's.

"He always gets carried away," Falco said. "He's not cut out for it."

Fox held back a noise of frustration, then mowed down a pair of bots in his path. "He's completely competent."

"Competent?" Falco scoffed, and Fox saw the avian's Arwing plow through a full squadron, melting each and every one, and saving half a dozen Cornerian fighters in the process. "Even if I thought that, which I don't, competent is so far below average for this team, it's..." He paused, thinking of the right word. "Laughable. He's a liability up here."

"He's an asset. He's helpful." Fox growled. "And I'm not having this conversation right now." Fox closed the channel and put Falco's argument out of his mind. Much as it pained him to admit it, the avian wasn't wrong. Slippy's skills were decidedly subpar in comparison to his teammates, and the amount of times he needed saving could, in theory, put the rest of them at risk. And there was also the fact that Fox's most practical argument, that they didn't have enough pilots on the roster to begin with, was holding significantly less water since Krystal, then her sister, and then Katt had signed on.

Fox grunted, letting any pent up distraction he was feeling flow out of him with the noise. "Fox, we've got a problem." It was Slippy's voice again.

"Where are you and how many?" Fox asked. He could practically here Falco smirking across the teamcomm.

"It's not me, I'm fine," Slippy said.

"Then what..." Fox trailed off as he saw what Slippy must have been referring to. Just nosing its way through the cloud cover, its retro rockets firing in a desperate attempt to slow it down, was a Cornerian assault frigate, wreathed in flames, and swarming with bugbots.

A desperate mayday filled the comm frequencies. "This Commander Carlson aboard the C.S.S. _Cormorant_. Main power is offline, and we have been boarded. We're on a collision course with Corneria City, estimated time to impact is seventeen minutes. Our chief engineer and his crew have been killed, if there's anyone out there who can help us! Please!"

Fox bit the inside of his muzzle. If that ship hit the city, it would wipe out thousands of square meters. And it the reactor then blew... "Slippy..."

"I'm already on my way. I'll need cover to get inside though. There's an open hangar to starboard," Slippy told him.

Fox changed course to follow Slippy. "How big?"

"Big. It's the main hangar," Slippy replied.

"Alright, you and I are going in. Falco, Katt, cover us," Fox ordered.

Bill's voice interjected. "Need an extra hand? I can make it in there with you."

"Thanks Bill," Fox said. Perfect. A plan was already forming in his mind. "Let's go people, we've got sixteen minutes and counting."

Fox gunned it for the frigate, Bill forming up behind him. As they neared it bugbots started peeling themselves off the hull, intent on stopping them from reaching the hangar. Slippy did another barrel roll, and Fox and Bill opened up, doing their best to clear them out as they approached the opening. Their maneuverability was limited however as they had to match speed in order to dock.

Falco and Katt swooped in to pick up the slack, strafing the bots and drawing them away long enough for the three other pilots to complete their approach, all wings intact.

For a main hangar it was a small space, and Slippy had already taken up a not insignificant portion of it. He and Bill matched speeds and brought themselves in as fast and as delicately as they could. When the Arwing settled on the ground Fox killed the engines and popped the canopy. Smoke filled his nostrils as he jumped onto the metal deck, blaster in hand. Bill waved to him, and Slippy jogged up to him, toolkit in hand. Fox looked at the two of them and said, "Bill, make sure he gets to the engine room. We have fourteen minutes before this thing crashes."

"What about you?" Slippy asked, glancing around a little nervously. Fox put a hand on the amphibian's shoulder briefly before pulling back. Despite what Falco might think, Slippy had a quality that Fox found indispensable. He was brave. Braver than any of them, quite honestly. He knew the toad shook in his boots before every battle, but he still went out there and did whatever it took to help the team and win the battle.

Despite the flames and wreckage surrounding them Fox managed a smile, doing his best to look cocky despite the fact he had just voluntarily boarded a sinking ship. "Well, someone has to land this thing."

()()()()

Krystal flung herself to the ground as the wall next to her erupted and tried to take her head off. "Bloody hell!"

The ODT next to her wasn't so lucky, and his corpse fell to the ground next to her, a hole burned through his chest. Another column of smartmatter, or whatever they called the stuff this monstrosity was made of, lashed out and tried to slice the remains of Charlie squad in half. Fiora reached out with her hands and stopped it cold with her telekinesis. The troopers dove to the ground and rolled out of the way right before Fiora lost control, and the razor sharp whip flung itself forward.

All around them the screeching battlecry of bugbots grew louder, and Krystal gathered herself up only to see an onslaught of the things approaching. The ODTs opened up with all the firepower at their disposal, and the bugbots returned fire with equal abandon. Troopers and bots alike began to fall to either side of the blue vixen.

Davies ran up to her and pulled her behind the meager cover of a drop pod. "Ma'am, you get in there and complete the objective. We'll hold them here as long as we can."

"That's suicide," Krystal argued, shaking her head.

Davies' aura changed to one of grim acceptance, and a surprising upswelling of sympathy. "We're soldiers ma'am. ODTs. When we get into our pods we know there's a good chance we won't make it to the ground, and even if we do, that we'll be killed on impact, or the second we pop the hatch. We're volunteers, and we know our job. Get in there and kick that probe's metal ass, let us worry about the rest."

Krystal was stunned for an instant, and then she put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Good luck, Captain."

"You too, ma'am."

Krystal nodded, gripped her staff, and ran towards Fiora. Her sister looked at her, and said, "Ready?"

"Let's do this." Krystal slapped her sister on the back, and the two of them charged into the predator's den.

()()()()

Fox sprinted through the corridors of the _Cormorant_. The air was filled with smoke, and his nose, sensitive as it was, could also pick up the scent of blood and fear through the thick haze. He'd stopped paying attention to the number of bodies he'd passed.

The lifts weren't working, and even if they had been, Fox wouldn't have trusted them. The emergency ladders might have been a bit slower, but at least he could drop quickly, and there was less chance the door would open only for him to be immediately gunned down by a waiting bugbot.

With a grunt Fox pulled himself up onto the last deck, with a corridor leading directly to the bridge. He glanced at his mission clock. They had four and a half minutes left. Fox swore under his breath, and then a shadow passed over his face. His eyes widened and he dove against the wall, just as a metal bladed arm cut through the space had he been occupying.

Without losing another instant Fox brought his blaster up and fired, sending a pair of energy bolts directly into the bugbots narrow waist. The bot screeched and lashed out at him again, catching his right shoulder with the blunt side of its arm. Fox cried out as he tumbled to the floor. Despite the searing pain in his shoulder he brought his blaster up again and started firing, feather tapping the trigger to send bolt after bolt into the metal monstrosity. It screamed and brought its arm up again, but Fox rolled out of the way in time, avoiding an attack that would have sliced him right down the middle.

Before he could fire again a loud, persistent report came from further down the corridor. Blue laser beams lit up the hallway, and caught the bugbot in three separate places. It didn't manage to do more than make a defiant sound before it melted into a puddle of blue goo on the floor. Boots pounded across the deck, and three Naval security officers crossed Fox's field of vision, scouring the puddle to prevent reconstitution. One of them held a hand out and helped Fox to his feet. "Commander McCloud?"

"That's me." Fox checked his clock. That engagement had taken a full minute. His comm flashed and he brought to his muzzle. "Slippy?"

"I have the main thrusters online. She won't make escape velocity, but she can maneuver."

Fox breathed a sigh of relief. He sprinted for the bridge. "That's all I need."

The door swished open, and Fox saw a room in chaos. The bridge had been boarded, and the only person alive besides the security troopers who had just helped him was Commander Carlson. The canine had a broken arm and was bleeding from a head wound. He had his sidearm in hand, and he was staring down at a rapidly evaporating pool of blue goo. "Commander?"

"Pilot is dead," he said, not looking up. "And I can't fly like this." He finally made eye contact, and recognition passed over his muzzle. "Star Fox?"

Fox nodded, not in the mood to correct him about the name. He took the pilot's seat and glanced briefly at the controls. Carlson stood behind him and asked, "Can you fly a ship like this?"

Fox shrugged. "Under the circumstances it doesn't make much difference." He took the controls and glanced back at Carlson and the security officers who'd joined him. With a grim expression he said, "Strap yourselves in. And I hope you guys can swim."

One of the officers gulped and said, "Sir?"

Fox didn't explain. Instead he turned back to the instruments and thought to himself, _I hope this works._

()()()()

Fiora had never seen anything like this in her life. Nor had she ever imagined the like. As she and Krystal fought their way through the numerous rooms and empty corridors of the former headquarters of Phoenix Corp, the walls and floors and ceilings themselves did everything they could to impeded their progress.

Surrounding both of them was a bright aura of psionic energy, Krystal's a deep blue, and Fiora's a blood red, the colors mimicking their pelts. It was exhausting maintaining the energy required, and Fiora suspected the two of them would have to enter a rejuvenation trance at the end, but it was the only way to keep the smartmatter they were surrounded by from simply swallowing them whole and smothering them.

Their projected auras had not, however, prevented the smartmatter around them from trying to kill them in other ways. Fiora had little to no understanding of the science behind catoms and programmable matter, but she felt certain she was receiving a premium course in its practical and military applications.

Fiora ducked her head as an energy beam tried to burn a hole right between her eyes, barely missing by more than an inch. She raised her blaster to fire, but the energy weapon that had fired the beam melted back into the structure, and her retaliatory fire succeeded only in blackening a portion of the wall. She cursed and continued on her mad dash alongside her sister.

Next to her, Krystal's expression was pained and weary. Her sister could usually filter out or, in cases of extreme mental stress, completely wall off her consciousness from the emotions and thoughts surrounding her. It was an invaluable skill in battle, when the whispered feelings of those around you were all high strung, adrenaline controlled panic. Too much exposure to that kind of thought energy could leave a Cerinian feeling jittery, ill, or even comatose from hyper-stimulation. The price of maintaining the aura shields around them, however, was Krystal's ability to filter and block.

As Fiora hopped over a sweeping blade of energized catoms, she allowed herself a moment of gratitude to the goddesses that she had inherited her family's recessive, but powerful, telekinesis gene. Dormant among the Zonocs for three generations, it had finally found its home in her, though at the expense of blunting her telepathy. What Krystal could feel and sense in a person from across a distance of meters, Fiora needed to be in physical contact with. It often put her at a disadvantage when dealing with others, but in this instance, it meant that having her mental shields down was far less traumatic for her than it was for Krystal.

Even so, she could sense the ODTs dying outside, and she knew they had an increasingly small amount of time before Davies and his company were overwhelmed, and the bugbots started pouring in after the two of them. "How much further?" Fiora asked, her breathing more rapid than normal. The air inside the building was thick and full of energetic charge, making breathing difficult, although not impossible.

"Twenty meters. Maybe twenty-one," Krystal replied, her own breath ragged. "Fox is in danger."

The admission caught Fiora by surprise. "Sister?"

Krystal shook her head and brought her staff down on the floor, causing a powerful, localised seismic event that scattered the barrier in front of them long enough for the two to get past it. "He's doing something either very noble, or very stupid."

"Uh huh." Fiora pulled her sword from her back and sliced through a whip like cord that had just tried to slice through her chest. "I haven't know him that long, but that seems perfectly in character." Fiora paused. "But I understand why you're worried."

Krystal frowned and smashed her staff against a recently materialized laser turret. The barrels crumpled, and the whole thing melted. "I'd like to get to know him a bit better before he goes and offs himself in a blaze of glory."

Fiora chuckled. "I'm sure it'll be worth it. Getting to know him better."

Krystal caught the double meaning, if the light in her eyes that appeared was any indication. The thought and anticipation lent her a new reserve of energy, and the two of them bounded through the last set of obstacles before they reached the lab.

Inside Fiora saw the probe, its blue body shimmering with energy. Large, pulsating, tentacles extended from the center of it, bracing it to the walls, and sending out jolts of psionic energy to the building. As Fiora looked at it, the transformation going on around them began to make sense. The smartmatter coating was serving as an additional amplifier, or perhaps relay would have been more accurate, for the telepathic energy being transferred through the probe. Without the probe, the signal would be neutralized, and the bugbots would no longer be able to function.

"Okay, how do we do this?" Fiora asked.

Krystal walked up to the probe and said, "I have to tell it to shut down. Once I do that, it should disintegrate, along with any bugbots under its control."

"And how are you going to do that?" Fiora asked, although she had a sinking feeling she knew already.

Krystal smiled and said, "I think Katt would call it hacking. In this case, I have to use the skill a telepath is best at. Communication. Keep me covered."

Fiora nodded and put what was left of her mental energy into strengthening their auras and feeding strength into her muscles. Behind her, Krystal set her hands on the machine and muttered, "Here goes nothing."

Fiora amended the statement in her mind to 'everything' and then braced herself for the very worst that probe and its trillions of catoms had in store for them. Here went everything indeed.

()()()()

As the battle raged throughout out Corneria City, the situation growing more and more desperate and bloody by the minute, the troops and civilians on the ground might have been forgiven if they missed the sudden drama going on in the skies right above them. However, Cornerians, and soldiers in particular, are an observant bunch, and when a massive shadow passed over them, and the dull, rumbling roar of engines meant to propel a ship through space nearly deafened them, all of them looked up into the sky, and most of them cried out in abject horror at what they saw.

From his position on the bridge of the Cornerian assault frigate _Cormorant_ , Fox McCloud noticed none of this. He ignored the terrified expressions of the crew behind him, maintaining complete focus on the controls and instruments before him. Fox had been a bit flippant about whether he could pilot a vessel of this scale, but the short answer was that he could. He'd piloted the _Great Fox_ on a few occasions, a precautionary skill in case ROB were ever disabled. That being said, he had never flown a ship like this in combat, nor had he ever executed an emergency landing in one.

Beneath his feet the hull shook with vibrations, and ahead of him the skyline of Corneria City drew ever closer. He didn't think about the panic he was likely causing on the ground, and he ignored the legion of bugbots that were flying around the ship, zapping pieces of hull away, and trying to sabotage the engines. His forward momentum would carry them to their destination, nothing the bugbots could do would stop them.

Even so, the sensors that were still functioning indicated that at least two squadrons of Navy fighters were now flanking them, swatting the bugs away, and forming a kind of honor guard around the doomed ship. Fox checked the controls once again, and nodded to himself. They were right on course. He calculated their ETA in his head, the computer having lost most functionality. He glanced back at Carlson and the crew and said, "Brace for impact."

Carlson and the three officers all nodded, hanging onto anything they could get their hands around, and praying that their seat restraints would hold. Fox turned back to the forward viewport and watched as Corneria City disappeared behind them, and the wide, blue waters of the bay stretched out ahead of them. He grit his teeth and held on. A lot of people thought that landing in water was like jumping into a pool. They couldn't have been more wrong. When the _Cormorant_ hit the ocean it was like hitting a wall of concrete. Hull plating sheared off or crumpled under the force of the impact. Glass shattered, and Fox shielded his eyes as panels exploded and sparked all around him. From all around him the hull screamed in protest, and Fox plastered his ears against his skull at the sound. A massive wave sprayed out behind them, and Fox knew they'd probably ended up flooding several blocks of beachfront property. Better than the alternative. At the last instant one of Fox's restraints snapped, and he jerked forward, smashing his right arm against the control panel in front of him. He yelled a curse and let himself roll with the momentum, managing to avert any serious injury. He was lucky he hadn't broken the arm.

Then, a minute and a half later it was over. The _Cormorant_ stopped all forward motion, and for a moment everything was perfectly still. Fox unstrapped himself and stood up. He looked at the commander and said, "Better signal the evacuation."

Carlson nodded mutely and stabbed a button on his command chair. The evacuation klaxon blared throughout the ship. Fox started climbing his way towards the nearest emergency hatch, the deck having tilted downwards. He could feel the ship sinking underneath him. Slowly but surely taking on water. Behind him the commander and his three security officers followed, and Fox hit the release for the emergency hatch in the corridor. Cool, ocean air flooded the corridor, driving away the smoke and haze they'd been choking on. Fox climbed out and then lent the rest an arm. His left. His right arm and shoulder were smarting, and he knew his nerves were filing every complaint in the anatomy book over the beating they'd been subjected to in the last few minutes. Fortunately, despite the pain none of it seemed permanent.

"What do we do now?" one of the officers asked.

Fox shrugged and parked his rear on the hull underneath him. He looked out at Corneria City and said, "Now we wait."

()()()()

Krystal had never encountered an intelligence like the one she could feel inside the probe. She'd been expecting the familiar touch of her mother, a warm embrace and willingness to help. Maybe, she had held out the hope, she would even be able to shut down everything from this one spot. It was clear her mother wanted to help her, after all.

As she dug deeper into the probe's telepathic programming however, Krystal sensed none of her mother's warmth or love. In fact, she sensed no particular emotions at all. No, that wasn't right. She did sense some emotions. A boiling, heated, rage seemed to bubble up against her consciousness. Whether it was natural or induced Krystal wasn't sure, and she found herself doing what she could to block it. The more she dug though, and the more the rage brushed against the edges of her awareness, the more Krystal began to realize that she wasn't dealing with any individual mind.

"How many?" she muttered to herself. She went deeper, battering her way through primitive defenses and shields, none of which could withstand a telepath of her strength. So much of the energy had to be focused outward that very little of it could be used to stop her probing mind. "Thousands." The answer rose unbidden through her mind and out her muzzle. A flash of pure joy overtook her as she realized how many of her people were alive. Then, anger and hurt crushed in on her as she remembered how many millions there had been on Cerinia, and what state those who had survived now existed in.

She put it out of her mind. Status. Collective. Compound. No individuals. Individuality subsumed into a dream like state, making the individual and group extremely susceptible to suggestion. Suggestion. Krystal homed in on that. She found layers of defense, more than in any other thought line. They were nothing. Whoever had designed this system clearly had not anticipated telepathic interference. It made sense. Yarus probably thought he had every last remaining telepath in the galaxy under his control, so why bother to create defenses against them? His mistake.

Krystal tore away the last paper thin sheet of blockage around the suggestive thought line. Her mind and eyes glowed as she began absorbing the information. Two directives rose to the immediate surface. "Commands" and "Cohesion." Commands were sent out telepathically, using amplification from a distant source. Krystal tried to locate it, but she didn't get far. Distant was an understatement. As powerful as she was, she couldn't communicate with something light years away. Not without amplification of her own. She filed that away however, along with her knowledge of amplification techniques and locations that had once existed on Cerinia.

Next she looked at Cohesion. This was the probe's primary purpose. The bugbots could receive commands from a great distance. Basic ones, without much more complexity than "Move to point. Kill everything." But, they could not maintain control over their catoms without the cohesive energy being pumped through the probe and the smartmatter coating the building. Krystal tried to seek out a reason. Ah, there it was. The catoms were unstable. Apparently, under natural conditions, the artificial atoms, which were converted energy, would return to their former energetic state. Krystal smiled. The catoms didn't want to be solid. They wanted to be ethereal. They wanted to be pure, harmless, energy. And, without the cohesion command, they would revert to their natural state. Corneria City might have to deal with static shocks for a few weeks, but beyond that the effect would be harmless. It made sense, in a way. The universe wasn't inherently harmful, and in its own way, Krystal knew it did its level best not to be.

Krystal focused all of her energy on the cohesion command. It would take everything she had to block it for the few seconds that would be required. "Fiora?" she whispered, unable to summon the energy to speak any louder.

"I'm here."

"Catch me."

Krystal felt her sister's strong arms and hands wrap around her, ready to steady her and keep her aloft. Krystal then drove all of her telepathic energy into one, three second burst of psionic power. For those three seconds the probe stopped receiving and then sending the command to maintain cohesion. Krystal sensed the sudden panic of the robots storming their way through the city as they lost their solidity. She felt the sudden zap of energy that made millions of people cry out and push down fuzzed fur. And then she felt the relief, joy, shock, and celebration of those same people as they looked around and noticed that every single one of the deadly killing machines that had been slaughtering them were gone. Krystal smiled, letting all the emotions wash over her, and then she went limp and all was quiet.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun. Man, people need to stop losing consciousness, that's super bad for you. Also, Cormorant is a reference to something. I can't for the life of me remember what though. Huh.

As always thank you all for you reviews, follows, and favs. Corneria City is saved! Now there's some other people who need saving. I hope Star Fox makes bank off all this.

Next week will see another update to my other story, Star Fox: Kidnapped. If you're enjoying this story I can pretty much guarantee that you'll enjoy that one too. Go check it out!

See you all in two weeks. FurFur out!


	22. Rock Out

Chapter 22

Rock Out

When Krystal woke she found herself staring into a bright, white light. The glare made her moan in protest as she put her arm up to shield her eyes. Her nose twitched as she picked up a familiar scent. A shadow blocked out the light and she moved her arm. Her muzzle split in a smile at the man she saw. "Fox."

Fox McCloud smiled down at her, his expression full of warmth, love, and pride. His green eyes shined with happiness, and she reached up to brush her hand briefly against the soft fur of his cheek ruff. "Hey you," he said. "Sleep well?"

"Mmm." Krystal's back was a bit sore, and her head still felt a little foggy. Other than that she felt right as rain. "How long have I been out?"

"Sixteen hours," Fox replied. "You uh, had me worried." He grinned that shy, sheepish grin that always made her heart flutter. In battle and in meetings he was so confident in himself, always in control of the situation, a born leader. And yet when it came to her all of that got turned right on its tail. She meant so much to him, and she knew it frightened him. It frightened her too.

"That's not bad, actually," Krystal told him. "I was expecting a full day."

"Do you need to rest more?" Fox asked, concerned. He wanted her to be one hundred percent. And she knew he needed her to be one hundred and ten percent.

Krystal closed her eyes and looked inward for a moment. She took stock of her psionic reserves, checking to make sure that the neurons that allowed her to summon and use her sixth sense were all back to functioning normally. When she opened her eyes again she said, "I'm right as rain."

Fox beamed at her, and his tail wagged behind him. "That's great. Your sister came around a couple of hours ago. She went to go eat a few minutes ago. Should I get her?"

Krystal shook her head. "No, let her eat. Telepaths need sleep and meditation, telekinetics need food. And lots of it. I'm surprised she put it off this long."

Fox chuckled. "She didn't exactly put it off." He moved position and pointed to a stack of empty food trays next to her bed.

Krystal laughed and said, "That makes more sense."

Silence settled between them for a moment, and Krystal took the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of Fox's aura in close proximity to hers. They were close enough that his mental energies were brushing gently against hers, giving her the most peaceful sensation. She began to fantasize about what it would be like to fall asleep this close to him every night. His toned arms around her, that powerful chest pressing against her back. The way their fur would brush against each other's, combining to form a blue and orange melange. His scent, masculine and musky, filling her nostrils and making her feel like the safest vixen in the world. And his aura. Finally his aura. It glowed around him in her mind as a shimmering, bright orange light. It projected strength and kindness and compassion, and a loyalty to friends and to her born of the purest love in the universe. She knew the Krazoa had been right to grant him entrance to their shrines. Mercenary or not, Fox's heart was as pure as freshly fallen snow.

"Krystal? Krys?"

His voice jerked her out of her reverie. "Sorry," Krystal muttered. "I was daydreaming."

"About what?" Fox cocked his head.

"You," she answered. The admission made her cheeks flush.

"I do that all the time," Fox responded. She narrowed her eyes at him incredulously, and Fox realized his mistake. "I mean about you. I daydream about you. Wonderful daydreams." He blushed when she narrowed her eyes further. "Nothing inappropriate!" he protested. "I'm always a perfect gentleman."

Krystal laughed, and she sensed how it both aroused his feelings for her, and calmed his nerves at the same time. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers, giving it a loving squeeze. "Soon enough," she said, pitching her voice low and husky, "I'm going to need you to stop being such a gentleman."

Fox's cheeks began to glow, and it looked almost like smoke started to rise from the tips of his ears. "Umm. Sure. Anytime." Krystal cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, only when you want!" Fox's brain appeared near total loss of cognitive capacity.

Krystal's tail thumped beneath the covers of the hospital bed she was in, and she said, "We should go meet Fiora, and then check in with General Pepper." Fox's face fell when she said that name. "Oh dear," she whispered. "Is he?"

Fox shook his head. "He's alive. But he's far from being out of the woods. He has severe spinal damage, and he's slipped into a coma. No one knows what happens next."

Krystal closed her eyes and projected sympathy to Fox. She'd liked General Pepper, but she knew how much more important he was to Fox by comparison. And Peppy too. She doubted the hare was taking the news about his old friend very well.

When she looked over at Fox she saw grim resolve on his muzzle. She nodded, setting her own expression in the same form as she swung her legs out of bed. "Let's report in to whoever we report into then. It's time to finish this fight."

Fox agreed and offered her a hand, then turned away to give her some privacy as she got changed back into her purple uniform. Dressed and ready for action, Krystal took his hand again, and the two of them left the hospital room.

When they stepped into the corridor Krystal immediately closed her mind to the energies that slammed into her. Nurses and medics wheeled gurneys to and fro, and doctors sped past them, moving from one room to another. They reached the elevator and Krystal hit the call button. While they waited Fox tapped out a message on his wristcomm for the team, telling them to meet at the new, temporary, CDF headquarters, ASAP.

The doors opened and the two of them stepped in, joined by two female tanukis and a snow leopard. When the doors closed Krystal asked Fox, "Do anything interesting while we were separated?"

Fox shrugged. "I went swimming." When Krystal gave him a confused look he smiled enigmatically and said, "I'll tell you later."

The doors opened again and the two of them fast walked through the hospital lobby. It occurred to her, as she passed an immaculate row of small, potted hedges, surrounding a carved marble fountain, that neither of them had been cleared to leave by a doctor. The realization did nothing to slow her pace however, she was certain it would all be worked out.

They left the lobby and stepped outside. Except it wasn't outside. When Krystal craned her neck to look up she didn't see any stars. Odd, because it should have been dark out, and even in the city you could still pick out one or two of the brightest ones. She also didn't see the moon. Instead, all she saw was darkness, and the sight of skyscrapers with holosigns directing people to the nearest medical, aid, or housing assignment center. Similar signs were on virtually every window around her at street level. Along with advertisements for packaged food and water.

"Krystal!"

Krystal turned when she heard Fiora's voice behind her, and she spotted the blood red vixen running to catch up with them. When she caught up Krystal wrapped her in a brief hug. "Isn't this place amazing?" Fiora said. "I saw it on the way in before I went into my trance. Oh, and your welcome for inducing it for you so you didn't lay there doing regular sleep for a full day."

"Thank you," Krystal said. Her tail flicked behind her. "I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure where here is." She looked at Fox to explain.

Fox smiled and pointed to a nearby train station. "This way. That train should get us close to the CDF headquarters. In the meantime, why don't I tell you about this little place we Cornerians call the Rock Out."

"The Rock Out?" Krystal shook her head. She'd never heard of such a place.

"I'll start from the beginning," Fox said as they queued up for the train. People around them made way, and they were quickly at the front of the line. "At the dawn of time, the deities made the universe. This made a lot of people very unhappy and is generally considered to have been a bad move."

Krystal raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Fox frowned. "You really should read that book."

"I'm getting round to it," Krystal protested. "Now please, can we be serious?"

Fox shrugged and chuckled softly. "Alright. Corneria City used to be smack dab right in the middle of a bunch of volcanoes. A few thousand years ago the last one died out, leaving us with this place. A massive system of caves that you can shelter a whole population in."

The train appeared and came to a stop. The doors opened and Star Fox filed in, along with a few dozen other people. Krystal grabbed a pole to hold on to, and made sure Fiora did the same. She hadn't forgotten about her first time on a Cornerian train.

"Ever since then," Fox continued, "Cornerians have used the Rock Out as a refuge whenever someone tries to attack. Over the centuries an entire separate city has developed here. Mostly it's used for resorts now, but during the Lylat Wars its refugee facilities got beefed up quite a bit, just in time for when Andross invaded."

When the train started moving, Krystal watched through the windows as the Rock Out passed by. Off in the distance she could see the cave walls rising up into the ceiling, all smooth, glimmering, igneous rock. In between walls and the train were apartment blocks, skyscrapers, casinos, and, as the train sped them towards their destination, military bases. Krystal saw VTOL craft landing and taking off, and even an armored division rolling down the street. Despite the natural beauty of the caves, and the stunning, vertical architecture of the Cornerian buildings, Krystal could tell it was a city on lockdown. They had weathered the first attack, but only at great cost. Corneria would take no chances on their being a second wave.

The train slowed and the doors opened. Fox, Krystal, and Fiora hopped out and then took the stairs down to the ground level. Troopers were stationed on and around the platform, in blue BDUs and black chest plates, helmets covering their ears, and green visors over their eyes. Rifles were slung across their chests, though they kept their fingers away from the triggers. In most other situations Krystal would expect to sense a great anxiety about armed soldiers being present around civilians, but after the attack, she could tell the Cornerians were grateful for the protection the men and women offered.

They made their way to the gates of the military base, and Fox checked them in. The guards saluted and cleared a path for them, and Krystal could sense them eyeing her with a level of respect she'd not felt before. She glanced questioningly at Fox. "Word might have gotten around that we have you to thank for all this," he told her.

"Oh." Krystal blushed. Her sister smiled at her and rubbed her arm for a moment. _I never wanted this._

 _Of course you didn't,_ Fiora's voice whispered in her mind. _That's what makes you a hero._

Krystal smiled and glanced at Fox. He carried himself with an upright posture as they fast walked across the base on their way to the headquarters building. Upright, but with no hint of smugness or arrogance. He did not look down on anyone. On Cerinia, Krystal's family had been wealthy and influential, her mother a Seneschal Priestess of Siona. They'd rubbed elbows with the very best of society. The wealthy, the powerful. Ministers and magistrates, religious icons, nobility, and generals. Krystal had never much cared for their company. Nor had her mother. Her father,Jade Zonoc, had been of no particular bloodline. Her mother's marriage to him had practically been a scandal. Krystal had learned to admire humility from her parents. And Fox was the very picture of a man who had every right to be arrogant, to look down on those beneath him, and yet had no interest in doing so. In fact, she suspected Fox would have had no idea where to start with an attitude like that.

They reached the Headquarters and were immediately ushered down to a sublevel beneath the basement. As they descended underground, Krystal couldn't help but remark on the fact that, even in a cave, the Cornerians were building bunkers beneath the surface.

"Think of it this way," Fox said, a slight smile curling the upper lip of his muzzle. "If the cave collapses, we'll be just fine."

"How comforting," Krystal replied, rolling her eyes.

"You have a problem with underground spaces, sis?" Fiora asked.

"Not really," Krystal replied. "Although I'll admit to having gained a slight bit of claustrophobia, after being trapped in amber on Sauria."

Fox took her hand and squeezed it, and Krystal was thankful for the subtle show of comfort. "Just take deep breaths. You're doing great."

The lift doors opened and they stepped out into pure, organized, chaos. Military personnel mixed with civilians in suits, all of them talking loudly to either each other, or people on the other end of phone lines or comm frequencies. Krystal spotted almost as many holograms of people in conversation as there were actual people. The tension in the room was so thick she felt as if she had to literally swim through it.

All of it, however, came to a sudden, brief stop when they were spotted. The whole room broke into spontaneous cheers and applause, and Krystal did her best to paste on the same humble, appreciative smile that Fox had on. They made their way across the room, shaking a few hands while Fox slapped people on the back and generally made himself jovial and personable. Krystal tried not to wilt under the sudden barrage of attention.

When they made it across the room they stepped into a short corridor leading to another door, which had a plaque on it that read "Situation Room." Krystal took a breath and said, "What was that?"

Fox shook his head, his affable smile disappearing, replaced by a tired and sympathetic expression. "The most exhausting part of being called a hero. The year after the Lylat War, I averaged roughly forty stop and chats, along with selfie takes, and oohs and ahhs for every city block I tried to go down."

"Goddesses." Krystal shook her head. "How did you manage?"

"Uh..." Fox scratched the back of his neck and stopped in front of the situation room door. "I mostly hid on the _Great Fox_ , and I did most of my shopping on space stations or in the colonies. I got less exposure out there. Corneria is a bit of a minefield."

"Great." Krystal looked at her sister.

Fiora shrugged and said, "Grip and grin. Like mum used to say."

Fox pressed his palm against the scanner on the wall and the door opened with a click. The room they stepped into was long and narrow, and dark. Lighting was focused on the lengthy oak table in the center, already being filled with papers, datapads, and crumpled coffee cups. The walls were covered in holoscreens and maps, showing real time images and scrolling data from every planet in Lylat. Very little, if any of it, was good.

Around the table were a number of male and female military officers, some in dress uniform, others in BDUs and looking like they'd arrived too quickly and urgently to change. Along with the military there were civilians, all of them in suits, and all of them looking as grim as their military counterparts.

If the tension in the room before this had been like swimming through a thick stew, the emotions inside this room were like solid concrete. It was a wall of suppressed anxiety, manifesting itself in a hundred ways, both subtle and gross. At the end of the table Krystal spotted a lioness in a singed uniform, standing tall and with a snarl on her face directed towards a sitting male avian in a suit. "What do you think we should do Haverson? Sit on our fucking hands and hope when they're done with the rest of Lylat they don't decide to come over here and finish the goddamn job?" The lioness was yelling, and Krystal could tell this argument had been going on long before they arrived.

The avian, Haverson, rubbed his right hand across his beak, and replied, "All I'm saying is the military isn't ready for a system wide counterattack right now. We can't go off half cocked. We underestimated Andross, and look where that landed us."

"The military isn't ready, huh?" The lioness shook her head in disgust. "I can show you half a dozen contingency plans ready to roll this minute. And I bet you I won't find a single person in the service who isn't ready to go either."

Krystal looked questioningly at Fox. Fox leaned closer and said, "The avian, Haverson, is Secretary of Defense. The lioness is Vice Admiral Nadira Hatch. She was just named as Pepper's temporary replacement as chair of the Command Council."

"They don't like each other," Krystal noted.

Fox shook his head. "They're both good at their jobs. Nadira is the voice of aggression though. She butted heads with Pepper and the rest of Defense a lot during the Lylat Wars, pushing for more offensive operations. She led the fleet personally through much of the war. When it was over Pepper promoted her to be his number two."

"She must be good then," Krystal replied.

"There's no one I'd rather have leading us without Pepper," Fox said.

"And who is the vixen walking through the door?" Fiora asked.

Fox straightened, along with everyone else in the room. The vixen walking through the door was wearing a silk blouse and blazer over a narrow waist, with a knee length skirt and heels that clicked on the floor as she walked. She had long, thick hair, and a tilt of her nose and bearing that screamed confident, upper class, and smart as a whip. That being said, Krystal sensed not a touch of true arrogance about her. Instead she could tell that this woman knew exactly the burden that she carried on her shoulders, and that she wasn't so much being crushed by it, as she was drawing strength from it.

"You two still fighting?" The vixen looked between Nadira and Haverson.

"Yes ma'am," Nadira replied. "I was just about to shove his beak up his ass."

Krystal sucked in a shocked breath, then relaxed when she felt the tension in the room break for a moment. "I don't doubt it," the vixen said, taking a seat at the head of the table. All conversation stopped, and everyone took their own seats. Except Star Fox. The vixen looked in their direction and smiled, showing brilliant, gleaming, white teeth. "Commander McCloud, I'm grateful to see you. What do you think? Can we save Lylat this time?"

Fox smiled back, his tail swishing. "We better. You need to do something with that budget surplus."

The vixen laughed and leaned forward, folding her hands on the desk. "A two trillion credit payout is ambitious, even for you, Commander. But I'll see what I can do. Still sure you won't join the military?"

"With Admiral Hatch in charge?" Fox shook his head, and Krystal wondered at the way he casually conversed with the most powerful people in the galaxy. "I wouldn't dare."

"Damn straight," Nadira answered. Her tail lashed behind her, and Krystal sensed the older woman's amusement. Fox's presence was having an amazingly calming effect on everyone present. Even Krystal felt her nerves dissipate. "Last thing I need is Lombardi holding actual rank."

More laughter, and then Fox said, "I should introduce you to my newest teammates. Krystal and Fiora Zonoc, this is Vice Admiral Nadira Hatch, Secretary Haverson..." Fox went down the table and introduced them to everyone present. Then he reached the vixen at the head of the table. "And President of Corneria, Agnus Vulpine, the Lady Titan herself."

Krystal and Fiora both nodded and smiled, and Krystal said, "A pleasure to meet you all. I wish it were under better circumstances."

"As do I," Agnus replied. "Call me when this is over, I'd love to campaign with you."

Krystal frowned and said, "Given my line of work it's probably better if I stay strictly apolitical, ma'am."

Agnus chuckled. "Ah well, I had to try." Then, almost at the snap of a finger, the mood in the room changed. Agnus said, "Let's go over where we are, and then I want to figure out where we go. Mr. Secretary?"

Krystal listened as Haverson went over Lylat's dire strategic situation. Corneria had been saved, but every other world in Lylat had, by this point, been overwhelmed. Organized resistance was crumbling, and the attackers had moved on to a new stage in their campaign.

Behind her the door whispered open again twice during the briefing as the other members of Star Fox joined them. The scent of body spray liberally applied heralded Falco's arrival, along with Katt's. Judging by their slightly haggard appearance, and the way Katt kept letting her hands drift across Falco's back, Krystal surmised the two of them had been celebrating their survival together.

Haverson went on to describe the new phase of the attack. Satellites of unknown design were being lifted into and positioned in orbit above conquered worlds. "For now," Haverson concluded, "We're not sure what they're intended for. Given the enemy however, I doubt they're building them to improve the weather in the colonies."

"What are our options?" Agnus asked.

"Attack." Nadira leaned forward, tapping with a claw for emphasis. "Whatever those satellites are, we need to take them out before the bugbots get them online. So we go in, full offensive, and hit them before they can solidify defenses on any of those worlds."

Agnus turned to Haverson. The avian frowned. "I disagree."

"Here we go," Nadira muttered. Krystal could sense all the good humor leave the lioness, replaced by tightly controlled frustration.

"To carry out an offensive on the scale the Admiral is suggesting would leave Corneria completely vulnerable in the event of another surprise attack," Haverson argued. "And once we're committed, there will be no turning back."

Nadira growled. "So what? Circle the wagons and hope for the best?"

Haverson shook his head. "No. Carry out a limited strike. One planet, one battlegroup. Test the enemy's strength and gather intel. We can then make a more systematic push once we know what we're dealing with, and that Corneria is secure."

"That kind of operation could take months," Nadira growled. "We can end this war now, if we hit hard enough and fast enough."

Krystal looked over at Fox, and she saw him exchanging looks with Peppy. "What is it?"

Fox turned to her and pitched his voice low. "Haverson is making the same argument that was made when Andross first struck. Cautious, measured, and defensive. A lot of people agree if we'd struck swiftly and decisively at the beginning, the war wouldn't have gone on so long."

"I see. You agree with Nadira, then?"

Fox frowned. "Yes. Although Haverson has a point. Go with Nadira, and you leave Corneria vulnerable to a second attack."

"I never realized quite how complicated war could be," Krystal admitted.

Fox sighed. "For governments and militaries, yes. That's why I refused to join when they offered at the end of the war. Ultimately, all I have to do if I don't agree with them is forgo a paycheck."

"And maybe face criminal charges," Peppy put in.

"Yeah," Falco said, snorting. "Cuz they're really gonna put you away for saving the galaxy."

Agnus sat there for a moment, considering the arguments of her two most senior military advisers. Then she spoke. "My brother was President when Andross attacked, and he had the same choice I'm being presented with now. Caution won out that day. And for the next five years of his first, six year term, Lylat burned. People were enslaved or outright slaughtered, and entire worlds were nearly destroyed by a madman who had no intention of playing by the merciful, respectable rules of war we'd constructed in previous centuries. My brother blamed himself for all of that. He felt caution was his biggest mistake. He said that when he made that decision, he abandoned Lylat. That he was responsible for the suffering that followed, even if no one else agreed. When he declined to run again in the aftermath, that was his reason. He set aside an easy, landslide victory, from a populace that thought of him as a hero, because he could not trust himself any longer."

A hush had fallen over the room. Agnus took a breath, and Krystal sensed the emotions running through her. She was calm. A rock. Her hands didn't even shake. Krystal could sense that she was in her element. She had the room by the throat, hanging on her every word. This was power. Simple and personal. Charismatic. And yet with a humility few politicians possessed. Krystal knew that Agnus's ambition, her desire for power, both the most dangerous, and the most essential element of a leader, had been tempered by her brother's experiences. She knew the cost of her decisions. In a way, she reminded her of Fox.

"I won't make the same mistake." Agnus met the eyes of everyone there. She went down the table, until finally she settled on Peppy. There seemed to be a brief flash of something there. As if a decision had been made. Then Agnus stood. "I won't abandon Lylat. We're going to war. And we're going to kick the hell out of these bastards. And whoever comes next."

()()()()

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._ Fox sat in the medical ward, looking at the comatose form of General Cornelius Pepper. He wondered what the old hound would have had to say about all of this. About the plan that he had worked out in the situation room. Star Fox would be splitting up. Fox, Krystal, and Fiora would take a stealth ship to X-83, their mission to liberate the Cerinians, and neutralize Yarus, by whatever means necessary. Falco, Katt, Slippy, and Peppy would remain in Lylat, helping the Defense Force carry out their offensive. It was a dangerous plan. Risky. Bold. The kind of plan Star Fox had used to defeat Andross. The kind of planning that had never been a part of standard Cornerian military doctrine.

He smiled. He could hear the General's voice even now. "It's too dangerous Fox!" and his cocky reply. "It'll be a piece of cake General!"

"He was a good man."

Fox stood up and turned around. He recognized the accent behind that voice. Similar to Krystal's, but undeniably different. It held none of the allure of hers. Boniface Whitefur stood there, his uniform clean and pressed, his cap in his hands. "He was. The doctors say he's doing better. Might even be up and around when we get back."

Boniface nodded. He walked over and put his hand on the railing that surrounded the bed. "My father used to tell me stories about when the two of them served together." A small smile. "As steady and cautious then as he is today. The man never changed. That's why we trusted him."

"Maybe." Fox sighed. "Caution has its drawbacks."

Boniface straightened. "Too true. Corneria has been too cautious. Too careful. So careful we let a madman go free after the war, only to see it blow up in our faces. Again. If caution could ever prove to be irresponsibly reckless, it just has." Boniface sighed and shook his head. "The President is done being cautious. And I say good show."

"What do you mean?" Fox cocked his head, curious. Boniface was hooked into every rumor mill in the system. A byproduct of his Brahmin heritage. Noble houses ran on gossip. And over the centuries they'd turned sifting through it and finding the bits that were true into an artform.

"Haverson's been sidelined. Along with several others who expressed dismay over the President's decision," Boniface explained. "Rumor has it that they'll be resigning when the crisis is over."

"Good." Fox's right ear flicked. He liked the President, though he did do his best to remain out of the political field. The extent of his involvement would always be at the voting booth. Or the absentee ballot when he wasn't on Corneria. But he'd been disappointed when Agnus chose Haverson as Secretary of Defense. In his line of work Fox made it his business to know the people in charge. Haverson had been qualified, reasonable, and utterly unimaginative. A bureaucrat, if Fox had ever seen one. "He was never the right man for the job."

Boniface crossed his arms, his tail swishing behind him. "I tend to agree. He did his job, rebuilding the fleet. Did it in two years and in cracking good style. After that he should have been out. He hung on too long. Rumor has it Agnus already has someone in mind for his replacement. And, well..."

"What?" Fox glanced at Boniface. The arctic fox looked hesitant all of a sudden. Unusual for him. He loved sharing gossip. "Do you know who it is?"

"I think I do."

"Who?"

Boniface frowned, then leaned forward and whispered in Fox's ear. Fox's eyes bugged out and he stepped back. "You're kidding."

"Have you seen him around in the past two hours?" Boniface tugged at his rank insignia. "He's been holed up in the sit room ever since the President sided with Nadira. He's hitting it off the Admiral too, according to what I've heard. A stunning rapport."

Fox swallowed. His stomach was fluttering. This...was unexpected. But not unwelcome. "He did always grumble about wanting to retire." Fox chuckled. No. This was perfect. Oh, the man would hate himself the morning after he was sworn in, but he would also be the best damn Secretary of Defense Lylat had seen in a generation. Fox knew it. And he knew his father, James, would be proud. _Even if he'd give him hell about signing up to be a desk jockey. And for being called a secretary._

"What are you laughing about?" Boniface asked.

"Nothing." Fox's chuckle turned into a laugh. "Just...oh man. My dad. My dad and my mom would have given him so much shit for his new job title." Boniface cocked his head, not quite getting it. "Secretary Peppy Hare."

Boniface considered it for a moment, and then his lips quirked. "Hmm. In all seriousness, do you think he will? Take the job I mean."

"Oh yeah." Fox nodded. "Peppy has always talked about duty. First it was his duty to make sure nothing happened to my dad." Fox voice softened. "Then it was his duty to make sure nothing happened to me." Quiet. "Now?" Fox looked at Pepper, and he knew what Peppy must have felt. He'd been close with the General. Even served in his unit during his brief stint in the Army Air Force with James. "It'll be his duty to Lylat."

They were both silent for a moment, and then Boniface said, "I came down here to tell you something, actually."

"Hm?" Fox turned back to his friend.

"Your team will be needing a mothership. Those that are staying here that is. You burned out the _Great Fox_ 's engines getting here so quick." Boniface stood ramrod straight. "I'd like to volunteer. Someone has to keep Lombardi in check, after all."

Fox eyed his friend. He pretended to consider the decision. It required no consideration at all. Boniface had been a good friend ever since they'd met. Steady. Confident. And, despite his upbringing among the upper class, not much of a snob. Except when he found it entertaining. _If anyone can be trusted to know when to reign in Falco, and when not to..._ "You're hired."

Boniface grinned, and his tail wagged behind him. He held out his hand. "You won't regret it."

Fox clasped his hand and shook. "Give 'em hell, Bonny."

Boniface grinned even wider. "With pleasure."

()()()()

Krystal looked at the ship they'd be taking to X-83. It had a sleek, aerodynamic design, and was coated in stealth plating. "It's a bit small."

Next to her, Fara snorted. "Size queen, huh?"

"Oh shut up." Krystal shook her head, a little blush on her ears.

Fara patted her on the back. "You better hope you are." Krystal arched an eyebrow. "You'll understand soon enough."

Krystal rolled her eyes. She turned around to see Fox approaching. Falco, Katt, and Slippy were trailing behind him. And Peppy was approaching fast. When they all met up Fox had them gather around. Krystal stood next to him. "Alright team, this is it. Fate of the galaxy and all that." Chuckles. Fox looked at Peppy. "You. Take the job."

Peppy smiled, his mustache turning upwards. "We can talk about it when you get back."

Fox shook his head. "He's being coy. Peppy's being offered Secretary of Defense."

Krystal gasped, and everyone in the team was shocked. "It's not official," Peppy protested. "I told her I'd have to think about it."

Fox rolled his eyes, but his tail wagged behind him. "Do whatever you have to do, but Peppy?"

"Yeah?"

"Lylat needs you."

Peppy stared at him, then hung his head. "Damn you."

Fox grinned and patted his mentor on the shoulder. Then he looked at the rest of the team. "And that goes for all of you, too. Stick by each other, and don't get killed. I expect a full roster when I get home. Got it Falco?"

Falco grunted and spread his wings. "And where am I supposed to go if this all turns sideways?"

Katt elbowed him in the ribs. "This is serious."

"And so am I." The levity was gone from Falco's tone and expression. Krystal sensed, in that moment, what Fox and Katt and everyone here saw in him. Why they put up with him. "I know when the chips are down. And I'm not about to let anyone screw with this system. After all, think of all the strip clubs...oof!"

Katt elbowed him in the ribs again, and then stomped on his foot. Krystal and everyone else laughed, and she felt Fiora nudge her telepathically, asking if they were always like this. Krystal responded that, according to Fox, this was them happy together. Unhappy was throwing lamps.

"Alright," Fox said. "You know the music..."

"...time to dance," Peppy finished.

"Star Fox. Move out."

* * *

A/N: This was supposed to be out yesterday, I apologize for that.

With this chapter we're entering the final leg of the journey. Fox, Krystal, and Fiora are on their way to rescue the Cerinians. If it goes well, then Krystal will have the greatest gift she could have ever hoped for. If it goes poorly, well, extinction is right around the corner. No pressure.

Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing and faving and following this fic. I love every one of you! See you soon!

-furfurfurfurfrufurufhgurueuthuwhewo


	23. Hope

Chapter 23

Hope

Tick. Tick. Tick. Krystal glanced at the ceiling. Tick. Tick. Tick. The hull plating above her had been making that noise in the bunkroom every fifteen seconds since they'd taken off. She'd actually climbed into the small space in the ceiling to see what it was, irrationally concerned that it might have been a ticking time bomb. She hadn't found a thing.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Krystal let out a noise of frustration and stood up, walking out of the bunkroom and down the short corridor leading to the cockpit. She slinked inside and snuck up on Fox, the tod dozing at the controls. They were set on autopilot so no need to worry. Continuing her silent approach, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and then planted a kiss between his ears. His eyes opened and he hummed as he shifted in his seat. "Hi."

"Hi."

Krystal moved over and sat in the copilots seat. Outside the forward viewport the stars passed by as a tiny white blurs, distorted by the high warp factor they were maintaining. The ship, called the _Anodyne Spirit_ , was a Wasp-class prowler manufactured by Thema Fleet Systems, a Katina shipbuilding firm. Fara had been disapproving of the choice on principal, although she had admitted that it was a fast little ship, and probably the best candidate for the job on short notice. Krystal glanced at the controls and noted their ETA. They had a few hours yet.

"I thought you were meditating." Fox glanced at her, that happy expression on his face that he got whenever she was near. She loved that look. It made her feel warm and bubbly inside. His emotions always told the same story. He was Happy Fox when she was around.

"It was a bit difficult to concentrate," Krystal said. She shook her head, the beads in her hair rattling softly. "I thought a stealth ship would be silent as a tomb."

Fox chuckled. "Yeah. The ticking?" Krystal nodded. "It's a byproduct of the stealth systems. We're running a lot of sensor refractant current through the hull. It...does weird things to the metal."

"Is that why you're napping up here?" Krystal motioned towards the cockpit.

"Yeah. Little bit."

For a moment neither of them said anything, enjoying each other's presence without the need to fill the air with mindless chatter. Krystal appreciated that about Fox. He was very Cerinian in that way. Most Cornerians felt a need to fill empty spaces with nonsense and small talk, afraid that silence would be awkward. Fox never did that. Or at least, when he was calm and at peace with himself. Which, she realized, he always was when she was with him. She felt her heart flutter again at that thought.

"Where's your sister?" Fox asked.

"In the armory, doing forms."

"I didn't realize she brought paperwork with her." Fox's tone was neutral, but his expression was joking.

"Har har." Krystal smiled, giving her tail a quick wag at the joke. "It's the only way she's ever been able to relax. Her and that sword are the best of friends."

"Reminds me a bit of me and my Arwing," Fox said, glancing at the controls before turning his eyes back to her. "At one point, it felt like the only thing I could rely on."

Krystal nodded. "It was the same way with my staff. When my world was lost, it was the only true link I had to my people, and my family."

"What about now? Do you still feel the same way?" Fox leaned forward, and, in act of uncharacteristic boldness, he let a hand rest on her knee.

Krystal took his hand in both of hers, and said, "No. I have you now. And I know I can always rely on you."

Fox put his other hand over hers, and the two of them locked gazes. "And I know I can always rely on you. For anything and everything."

"Through thick and thin." Krystal closed the last distance between them and let their lips brush against each other. Fox took the hint and pressed forward, and the two of them lost themselves in each other's kiss. It didn't matter what was waiting for them on X-83. It didn't matter what Yarus did to try and keep them from freeing her people and stopping him from destroying Lylat. They had each other. And nothing in the galaxy could stand against the two of them.

()()()()

One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. Fiora had been going through the basic sequences of her preferred sword fighting form for nearly an hour now. She'd thought about working her way up to the more advanced sequences, but those would have required more concentration, and right now she wanted to think.

Back on Corneria, she'd felt something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She didn't want to hope. Because what she'd felt had filled her with a moment of unrestrained joy, which had been quickly followed by the sinking feeling that it might not be real. Her telepathy was not her sister's. And the telekinetics she had been feeling were all a blend of a thousand different touches. But what she'd felt...she'd felt him. Her one true love. Her bondmate. For no more than half a second of perfect clarity, followed by an eternity of crippling doubt, Fiora had felt Decius.

Decius. With his dark fur and magenta tattoos. Tattoos that covered his entire body in long, flowing lines. She remembered lying with him in the night, with nothing but moonlight and the stars to give them light, and tracing her claws, or her fingers, or her tongue across those lines. She remembered his taste. His scent. The warm feeling of his body pressing against hers, their hips rolling in a sweet synchrony. She remembered the whispered sound of his voice as he spoke to her, telling her about his latest hobby, or the way his ears cupped forward with interest when she would tell him about her latest adventure.

Fiora remembered when they had first met. His family had lived in one of the big cities out on the ocean. Cerinians built their more high tech dwelling on the water, away from the precious islands that were the only land on their world. It was land too valuable and too sacred to be spoiled by technology or industry. But, it was every Cerinians dream to move to one of the Temple Towns on the islands, and to live a simple life, the way their ancestors had lived.

His father had been a blacksmith. Or rather, when he lived in the city, it had been a passionate hobby of his. One day a priestess from Tenked (though not her mother) had happened upon him and been impressed with his skill. Not long after, his entire family had been granted a place in Tenked, where his father would be allowed to live and work at his passion. They'd been given a little house in the town, and Sapphire and the rest of the Zonocs had gone to meet them, as they did all knew arrivals.

Decius had been moving suitcases into the house when she spotted him. He seemed to have already adapted to the Temple Town life. He was wearing nothing but a loincloth in the hot afternoon sun. His fur glistened with sweat, and his tattoos stood out in bright contrast to the black and silver fur of his pelt. Fiora had fallen in love in an instant. Not with his body or his appearance, though she thought him more handsome than any man she'd seen before or since. Instead it had been with his thoughts. Even a fairly middling telepath like herself could feel it. His strength, his character, his kindness. But what had really drawn her attention, and her ardor, was his variety. He was not a dabbler, for she sensed strong instincts of commitment in him, but rather he was someone who wanted to try everything. Everything. She knew in that moment that a life with him would never be dull.

One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. Fiora stopped. An upwelling of emotion bubbled up from her feet to her head, and she tossed her sword away with a muffled curse. Bondmates. They were bondmates. And nothing mattered without him. Nothing. Not her sword, not her world, not her people, and not Lylat. Nothing would matter until she found him again.

"Fiora?"

Fiora froze, sensing the presence on the other side of the armory door. "Come in."

The door slid open and Krystal entered. She glanced at the sword, which had left a long mark on the wall where the blade had hit, and now sat glimmering and almost sad on the floor. Cerinian weapons weren't alive but...they often adopted the characteristics of their owners. It was a strange, esoteric form of psionics that few Cerinians understood. "Decius."

Fiora nodded, even though it wasn't a question. She sat down on the cold metal floor and hung her head. Her long red hair covered her face, and she made no attempt to brush it out of the way. Her sister didn't need to her see her eyes to know there were tears forming in them. "I can't live without him," she whispered.

Krystal sat down next to her and put an arm around her. "I don't pretend to know how you feel."

Fiora leaned into her sister, letting her head rest against the other vixen's shoulder. "You could always look."

"I could." Krystal kissed her sister between the ears. "But I also won't lie and say that it's something I want to know."

Fiora snorted. "Can't say I blame you. It's hell. The deepest, darkest, hottest pit of Naraxes." A tear fell from her eye, and she wiped it away. She hated crying. It made her feel weak.

"It's alright to cry," Krystal whispered.

Fiora wilted and put her arms around Krystal. "But I don't want to."

Krystal put her other arm around her sister, and her tail reached over to twine with hers. "Are you sure?"

Fiora groaned and shook her head. "I'm supposed to be strong. I'm the heir. Even if mother always wished you were."

Krystal frowned. "You don't seriously think that, do you?"

Fiora pulled away and looked her sister in the eye. "I rejected her precious Siona. She never loved me quite the same after that."

Krystal sighed. "You're right. She didn't." Fiora looked crestfallen. She had been expecting a denial. "She loved you more."

"What?" Fiora shook her head. "She wanted me to pledge to Siona. To continue the family tradition. We both know I was her biggest disappointment in life."

Krystal shook her head. "No." She reached out and placed her hand on her sister's cheek, and Fiora felt their mind's touch. A flood of emotion and memory came flooding across the link. Things Krystal had learned through bonds with their mother. Bonds that Fiora had started refusing when the conflict over divine pledges flared up. She felt a rush of shame as she realized she and mother hadn't had an intimate touching of minds in years.

The same was quickly battered away. Krystal poured everything into the link. Before she could stop herself Fiora broke down in sobs. Krystal was right. Their mother hadn't held it against her. She'd been proud. A warrior Zonoc. It wasn't what she wanted. It was a shock. A surprise. But it wasn't a betrayal. Sapphire Zonoc loved her daughter, and she loved her all the more for being a Disciple of Athrata.

Krystal pulled away, and Fiora gasped and lurched forward, trying to chase the memories. Krystal shook her head. "The rest you two need to settle yourselves. But...does that give you a reason to go on living?"

Fiora took a deep, shuddering breath. "Yes."

"Good." Krystal was about to stand up, but Fiora grabbed her arm. She settled herself down again. "You want me to stay?" Fiora nodded. "I'll stay."

Fiora reached out and Krystal wrapped her arms around her again. Fiora melted into her embrace, happy beyond reason that she had her sister. And that she'd been wrong about their mother. Sapphire would be proud to hand the family over to her one day. Her and... "Decius."

"I know." Krystal stroked her back. "We'll find him."

"I sensed him."

"When?" Krystal's voice took on a note of urgency.

"Back on Corneria. Near the probe. It was for an instant. So fast it was gone almost before I realized." Fiora squeezed her sister. "I don't know if I believe it."

Krystal held on tight. "I do. Don't be afraid to hope sis. It gives us all strength."

Fiora nodded. She let a little bit of hope fill her heart. She had to believe. Decius deserved that much. He deserved that much and a lot more. But, at this moment, it was all she could give him. "Do you think he's alive? With the others?"

"I hope so," Krystal said.

For a moment Fiora stayed quiet. Then she said, "I hope so too."

* * *

A/N: Welp, I'm late again. Hope you guys enjoy though, and keep an eye out for Star Fox Kidnapped next week! See you all then :)

-furfurfrufurfurufrufjrfurfurufrfur


	24. X-83

Chapter 24

X-83

With barely a whisper of subspace noise, the _Anodyne Spirit_ dropped out of warp in star system X-83. Fox had been over everything Corneria knew about this distant, out of the way little backwater. It wasn't much. Only one world had been fully surveyed, by luck or fate the one they needed to land on. Conditions on the surface ranged from tropical around the equator, to deserts in the south and deciduous forests to the north, along with two polar ice caps. The atmosphere at last scan had revealed the presence of no pollutants that would indicate advanced civilization on the surface. The file ended with a note that conditions rated it worthy of an eventual manned mission, but none had been sent out.

Fox checked to make certain all of the ship's stealth systems were engaged. They were. Unless someone spotted them out a window with the naked eye, a statistical impossibility in space unless you knew exactly where to look and from exactly the right angle, they were invisible.

The doors to the cockpit swished open, and Fox turned to see Fiora and Krystal enter the cabin. He smiled and said, "We're two hours out at sublight."

"Can we speed that up?" Krystal asked.

"Not if we want to stay off any sensors..." A control started flashing. "We're getting a transmission. It's from Corneria."

"They do know we're on a stealth mission," Fiora said. "Right?"

Fox shook his head. "We're far enough out, and it's on a low band. I doubt it'll be noticed." Fox tapped a control and the screen in the center of the control board lit up with a grainy image of Peppy Hare.

"Fox, I'm breaking protocol to send you this. President's orders. Things aren't going well, and you deserve to know." Peppy sucked in a long breath. "Fara and Miyu have been looking over the scans we've taken of the satellites the bugbots put in orbit. They're weather machines. Andross designed them while he was Chief Scientist here on Corneria. But...he's weaponized them. They're causing megastorms all over the system. Massive destruction. We tried to attack them, but their defended by a whole new class of robot. We lost...God. We lost more than forty ships in an hour. It was a slaughter."

Fox bit his lip, and his fists clenched in barely restrained fury. He felt Krystal put a hand on his shoulder, and he managed to relax enough to keep listening.

"We've changed tactics. There's no satellites over Corneria. We're evacuating all of those worlds. The whole damn system. Everyone we can find and get out, we're getting out. But Fox...if you can't stop this, all of Lylat is going to be uninhabitable. For generations. Maybe forever." Peppy's voice was thick with strain, but he was handling it well. Most men would have gone to pieces in the face of all this. Fox knew why Agnus Vulpine wanted him in her cabinet now. "Falco and the team are safe. Slippy got a little banged up, but he's okay. Look. Fox. I don't have a lot of time, and this message is probably already longer than it should be. Just...I know you can do it. And we're all counting on you. This is Peppy, signing off."

The cockpit was quiet, then Fox said, "Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit!"

Krystal pursed her lips in sympathy, and Fiora cast the floor a downward gaze. Fox rubbed his hands across his face and took a deep breath. Things were never simple. Things always got complicated at this stage of a mission. Fox looked at the two fellow warriors he was with. He looked at Krystal, and he saw her strength and determination. They would see this through.

"What now Fox?" Krystal asked.

Fiora turned her gaze towards the viewport and the tiny glowing marble that was their target. "We could say screw the stealth approach and gun it. Hit Yarus hard and fast before he knows what's happening."

Fox shook his head. "It's tempting, but it's also too risky."

"I'd say we're a bit past the point of playing it safe," Fiora replied.

"And normally I'd agree," Fox said, staying patient. "But we're not in Arwings, and we don't have the _Great Fox_ backing us up. This ship was built for stealth, and in a fight her defenses would be paper thin. We're no use to anyone back in Lylat if we get ourselves killed."

Fiora slumped back against the wall of the cockpit, and Fox saw her accepting his argument. "Fine. Two hours. And then I'm personally going to slit Yarus's throat."

Fox and Krystal nodded, and Fox said, "Two hours. Let's be ready to go. And stay on your toes." Fox turned to watch out the cockpit window. "I have a feeling that planet has a few tricks up its sleeve."

()()()()

Planet X-83 sprawled beneath the _Anodyne Spirit_ , the scale of the world becoming clearer as Star Fox closed in. The planet was massive. Bigger than Corneria. Fox consulted the intel they had and tried not to make a strangled noise at the size comparison. "This planet is massive," he said. "Empty except for..." He double checked the scan. "There's a massive production facility on the surface. No lifesigns though. It must be automated."

"It must be controlled from somewhere though," Fiora said. "Can we scan the rest of the planet for lifeforms?"

Fox frowned. "We could. But if we want to remain undetected we'd have to use passive scans, and that could take days."

"Then what do we..."

"Shhh."

Fox and Fiora both turned towards Krystal. The blue vixen had her legs folded beneath her, and her eyes were shut. Behind the lids Fox could see the tell tale glow of her psionics. "Is she?"

Fiora put a finger to her lips and nodded. Fox closed his mouth and watched, wondering if Krystal would ever cease to amaze him.

()()()()

Krystal's consciousness flitted from one place to another across the surface of X-83. She started at the production facility Fox had noticed, and then spread out in all directions, searching for life. She found plenty of it. This world was alive with plants and animals. All variety of non-sapient life. So much of it was unspoiled, too. Like a garden made by a careful tender, and then left to run wild and free. The life and energy of it filled her mind and coursed through her veins, like taking a deep breath of fresh air after weeks locked away in a room. But this wasn't what she was looking for.

Her mind ran through jungles and forests, and then across oceans and parched deserts. She could feel them. She could feel him. A great beacon of malice came from where she knew Yarus must be. But it was almost obscured by the cloud of a desperate pain and anguish that radiated in a great plume from her Cerinian brothers and sisters. Some part of them, she realized, knew what was going on, what had been done to their world, and what was being done to them. They knew, and they were sending out a telepathic beacon, perhaps unintentionally, that she could lock onto.

In the natural world, and the lower order minds of animal creatures, emotions are simple, and instincts are the primary drivers of decision making. A predator attacks and kills when it is hungry. A prey animal feels fear when it is being pursued. There are some emotions, however, that animals simply did not feel. Or rather, the way they felt them was different from the way a Cerinian or a Cornerian or a Venomian would feel them. When the predator killed its meal, there was, for instance, no malice behind it. It wasn't murder, it wasn't an accident, it was simply survival. The same went for the prey. It understood what was happening, and though it might feel fear, animals tended not to feel regrets, and they did not fight against their fate, viciously denying what was being inflicted on them, when there was no longer any chance. With that in mind, there should have been no malice on X-83. No hatred. No remorse. And yet there was.

Krystal zeroed in on it. Finally her mind's eye came upon a temple. It towered out of the equatorial jungle, covered in vines and with its grey stone walls covered in beady drops of condensation. Statues ringed it. A few of them broken and toppled, and others standing proud, with beaded countances and strange, flat faces. Krazoa.

Krystal's people had known about the Krazoa. Cerinia had been filled with their relics. In fact, according to ancient tradition, the Krazoa had elevated the Great Goddesses of Cerinia onto the spiritual plane in the distant past. Whether that was true or not, Krystal did know that the Krazoa existed as pure energy. They were thought and intellect and emotion made manifest. Their temples overflowed with psionic energy, which dispersed across an entire world, overflowing and lapping against each other like the gentle waves of a lake. This temple, however, was different.

When Krystal looked up at it, she saw not the flow of energy she would have expected, but instead a tightly held together beam, shooting off into the sky, in the direction of Lylat. And coming from within she sensed pain, anguish, fear, and hatred. Krystal smiled. She'd found them.

()()()()

The light behind her eyelids faded, and Fox watched as Krystal opened them with a smile. "Mind if I fly?"

Fox smiled back and got out of the pilot's chair. Krystal took his place, and Fox sat down with a clunking noise in the copilot's seat. They'd all changed into their SPC armor a little less than an hour ago. Once they hit the ground, there couldn't be any delays. They needed to move before someone noticed them.

Krystal took a firm hand on the controls and angled their nose for a gentle descent. They needed to make as little noise and spectacle on their way down as possible. "I know you probably can't tell me," Fox said. "But do you have any idea what we might be facing down there?"

Krystal frowned and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I was focusing mainly on emotions. I saw the temple though. That's where they're being kept."

"That's alright. That's all that really matters." Fox checked the charge on his blaster, and then made sure he'd packed the extra powerpacks on his belt. Behind him he heard a strange grinding noise. He turned and arched an eyebrow at Fiora. She had a whetstone out and was running it across the blade of her sword.

"What?" Fiora glanced at him, then held up the blade to the light. It flickered and glowed. It really was a beautiful blade. Straight, and about a meter long, with a simple, curving crossguard, and a ruby pommel.

"Nothing," Fox said. "It's a little surreal is all."

"What is?" Fiora cocked her head at him.

Fox shrugged. "Seeing a person sharpening a sword before combat. I don't think I've ever seen anything more elaborate than a combat knife in this context."

Fiora chuckled darkly. "Mmm. Trust me when I say you'll appreciate my sword when we get down there."

"I'm sure I will," Fox replied. He smiled and then turned back to the cockpit window.

The _Anodyne Spirit_ entered the atmosphere, and orange and red fire licked at its edges as the friction ignited the atmosphere. There was a rumbling and creaking noise as the metal of the hull bent and popped under the heat. Fox wasn't concerned. All Lylatian ships were built to withstand entry or reentry. They could be brought in by remote if they had to be.

With a boom they broke through and streaked through a set of heavy grey rain clouds. A trail of steam followed them as they boiled and evaporated the water around them. "We don't seem to be making the most subtle entrance," Fiora remarked.

"No. But then, it's hard to be subtle when you..."

Before he could finish his sentence a loud bang nearly defeaned them, leaving all their ears ringing. The _Spirit_ started to list, and Fox smelled smoke. "Helmets on," he barked.

With a snap-hiss of armor seals the helmets went on, and Krystal continued fighting with the controls. "What hit us?" Fiora asked.

"Nothing hit us." Krystal growled. "Our number two engine blew all on its own."

Fiora made a strangled noise of anger and said, "Telekinetics. He probably snapped a coolant line."

"They can do that?" Fox looked between the two women. "Why haven't they choked the life out of us?"

"Because you're within our aura," Krystal replied. "If they tried we'd stop them."

"And if I get separated?" Fox was feeling real fear for the first time in what felt like awhile. This was new. He didn't like the idea of someone being able to reach out and snap his spine on a whim.

Krystal yanked off her helmet, and then pulled off the tiara she always wore. "Put this on."

"Huh?" Fox looked at her skeptically.

"Put this on, I'm flying with one bloody hand right now!"

Fox jumped in his seat at her tone, then reached out and took the piece of jewelry from her. He lifted his helmet and tried to get the adornment to sit right. He couldn't quite do it.

"Fiora, help him."

Fiora stood up, slapped his hands away, and had the tiara on his head in one second flat. Fox quickly replaced his helmet, hoping that it would cover the blush spreading across his cheeks and up his ears. "And other than making me look like a dandy, what is this going to do?"

"Those gems are focusers," Krystal explained, still fighting with the ship. "So long as you have it on I can sense you and protect you, wherever you are. If we were bonded I could do it without them."

"We should do that at some point then," Fox said, not realizing what he was implying. Fiora snickered, and Krystal shook her head. "What? What?"

"She'll explain it to you eventually," Fiora said. "Sis, I feel like the ground is closing in on us rather quickly."

Krystal grunted and said, "Without the other engine I don't think I can do this. Fox?"

Fox shook his head. "We're coming in too hot. We need to bail."

Krystal nodded and stood up, locking the controls so a stray shudder wouldn't send them careening any further off course than they already were. Outside it had begun to rain, and the sun was obscured, leaving the entire area enveloped in a grey, wet, dimness. "Pods?"

"Pods," Fox concurred.

All three of them leapt from their seats and sprinted towards the rear of the ship were four escape pods were located. Fox tapped the control to prime them for launch and then stepped inside one. It was narrow and claustrophobic, and about the size of a coffin. It actually wasn't too different from the pods the Orbital Drop Troopers used in the Cornerian military. Fox's belief that all of them were the craziest sons of bitches in the universe was confirmed once again when the hatch shut. The systems came online, tiny screens scrolling with text, and a few basic controls. It would drop straight down, and had a parachute to break the impact. The problem came with the fact that once the chute was deployed, they were liable to drift as much as a hundred meters off course. "You guys strapped in?" Fox asked, pulling the crash webbing down over him.

"Affirmative," Fiora replied.

"All good," Krystal said.

"Alright. Here we go." Fox yanked the launching lever by his right and was thrown back against his acceleration chair as the pod shot out of the doomed stealth ship. They were still a kilometer up in the air, and Fox didn't want to pop his chute until the last possible second. The longer it took him to reach the ground, the longer someone one the surface had to mark his position and send out a squad to shoot him when his hatch opened. If, of course, they didn't just vaporize his pod. "Pop your chutes at four hundred meters," he said, glancing at the readout that told him the minimum safe distance.

"Roger that," Krystal replied. Fiora echoed her, their voices laden with static over the short range radio comms.

Fox's hand tightened on the chute control. 450 meters. 440. 430. 420. 410. 405. 400. He pulled it with all his might and breathed a sigh of relief as he felt his motion arrested. And then he heard the single most terrifying sound of his more than two decades of life.

 _Snap._

* * *

 _A/N:_ Freeeeeefaaaaaaaallllllllliiiiiiiinnnnnnn!

Hope you guys enjoyed. As always a big thanks to those who have reviewed, favd, followed, and just plain read the story. You guys are all the best!

If you're in need of more Star Fox goodness, my other story, Star Fox: Kidnapped, just got its final update, bringing the story a short and sweet close. Go check it out!

I also hope everyone had a good holiday last week, and in case you were wondering, yes, the turkey was totally the reason that there wasn't an update last week. See you guys starside!

-furfurfurfurfurfurfurfur


	25. Fate of Cerinia

Chapter 25

Fate of Cerinia

The first thing Fox heard when he regained consciousness was the sound of rain pattering against the hull of his pod. It made a loud, angry noise as it boiled away on impact, though it grew softer as the pod cooled. Fox grunted and tried to move. It was dark. All the screens were dead. He smelled blood. "Uuugh." He shifted his left leg, and that was when the pain hit him. "Aggh. Dammit. Fuck! Oh yeah, that's broken. Really broken."

Fox stood absolutely still and tried to will his breathing and heart rate back to normal. He had to remain calm. Panicking would only make the situation worse. In the back of his mind a little high pitched voice moaned, _Worse? How could it be worse?_ In response Fox thought up several scenarios that could make it worse. Like if his hatch didn't open.

With the pods automatic systems offline he could still release the hatch manually. He reached for the controls and pulled each pin himself. Hydraulics whirred and then stopped. Whirred again and then stopped. Fox's eyes widened. The hatch had opened a tiny crack, but slammed shut a moment later. Without the automatic systems its power was too limited for it to try again. He smelled rain, and dirt, and the gravity of his situation settled on him. "You have got to be kidding me." Not only had the pod's parachute snapped, its computer systems had gone offline, and it had managed to belly flop its way to the surface to land face down in the muck like a chump.

He did have one thing going for him. His SPC armor was online and functional, and although he'd never be able to get a vacuum sealed hatch open with brute force, he did have comm gear, and two teammates well within range of low band radio signals unlikely to be being monitored by whatever was down here. Opening a frequency, Fox said, "Krystal? Fiora? You guys there?" He waited several seconds, then repeated his query. He took another deep breath, forcing down the terrifying thought they might be in even more dire straits.

Then his world lit up with beautiful, bright, angelic light. Krystal's voice, breathing hard and fighting to stay calm, crackled over his suit's speakers. "Foxy? Foxy, can you hear me?"

"Krys, thank the ascended. I uh...I'm having a bit of a problem." Fox tried to keep the pain from his leg out of his voice. He knew it was probably useless. Krystal could sense him. She'd know what was going on. She'd know he was hurt. Why else would it sound like she was bulldozing her way through the surrounding jungle?

"I'm coming Fox, don't worry," Krystal reassured him. He heard impacts. She must have been clearing brush with her staff.

"Yeah. Is Fiora coming?" Fox bit his lip and swallowed hard. His leg was killing him. Literally. It probably wasn't fatal, if they could attend to it in time. He was more worried about the wrench this was going to throw in the mission. If he couldn't walk...

"I am," Fiora's voice replied. "I'm almost there. What's the problem?" A loud crashing noise echoed inside his pod, and Fox heard footsteps converging from both sides. An armored fist rapped against his pod, and Fiora chuckled. "Wow. That was a belly flop. Hold onto something."

"Be gentle," Fox implored.

"Don't worry, I won't throw you against any trees today," Fiora replied.

"Don't joke Fiora," Krystal said, a warning tone in her voice. She was feeling protective, and she was immensely worried.

"Alright alright. Hold on."

Fox braced himself and closed his eyes. He bit his lip as the pod suddenly started moving. First it levitated almost straight up, and then it began to spin gently. Rather than tipping him so he was standing up, Fiora was rotating him so he'd be on his back rather than his front. Not a bad move. That way, when they got the hatch off, he wouldn't come tumbling out. Considering his leg he couldn't be more grateful.

Once he could see the jungle foliage and the grey rain clouds above him, Fiora lowered the pod to the ground, setting it down so softly Fox barely even noticed. Then she walked up, drew her sword, and Fox had to try not to scream in surprise when she shoved the blade right through the metal. His eyes widened and for a moment he forgot the pain of his broken leg and watched in mute astonishment as Fiora traced her blade in a pattern following the contours of the hatch precisely. The metal didn't even smoke as she dragged the blade, which glowed a soft red, through it. She withdrew the blade, and he saw her raise her hand, palm down, and then yank it back. The hatch went flying, crashing in the underbrush a good half dozen meters away. Fiora peeked over the rim of the pod and pulled off her helmet, shaking out her long, ruby hair. She was about to say something when she spotted his leg. Krystal was at his side too, and she sucked in a tiny breath, her blue face falling when she too removed her helmet.

"It's not as bad as it could be," Fox replied, swallowing back the taste of bile in his throat when he saw the unnatural angle his leg was bent at. The armor had bent with it, allowing the angle rather than resisting and potentially shattering the bone entirely.

Fiora pursed her lips and said, "Don't move." She brought both hands up, and Fox felt a thousand soothing, smooth fingers lift him from the pod, while keeping his leg from moving. "This is officially the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me," Fox muttered.

He landed on his back, and the two vixens were on him in a moment. Krystal removed his helmet and let his head rest against legs. Fox stared up at her and tried to smile, but the novelty of everything was wearing off, and the pain was coming back. At least he wasn't in shock. "It's alright. We'll fix you up."

"Medkit?"

Fiora kneeled down next to him and shook her head. "Try not to scream."

"Whaaaaaaaa!" Fox bit down and nearly took off a chunk of his tongue as Fiora's telekinesis probed his wound. "Son of a bitch motherfucker!" Fox groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. Fiora's powers withdrew. "What the hell was that?"

Fiora rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby. Sister? Can you?"

Krystal nodded and set a hand on Fox's forehead. "I'm going to help you deal with the pain. I can't mask it completely, but I can make it bearable."

"What are you two doing to me?" Fox asked, feeling a cold lump of fear settle in his stomach. For an instant it dawned on him that he was all alone with two women with powers beyond what he'd ever thought possible. And that was terrifying. On a basic, instintinctive level, that was simply terrifying. Then Krystal's mind touched his own, and he remembered that they were his friends, and that Krystal loved and adored him, and that he would never need to fear her.

Fiora cast him a not unsympathetic gaze. "I'm going to knit the bone. I'm going to do it quick, and it's going to hurt like hell. Here..." Fiora reached down and yanked up a clump of thick grass. She handed it to him and said, "Bite down on this."

Fox nodded and took the grass, shoving the clump between his teeth. Krystal settled both her hands against his forehead and he felt her mind trickling inside his, like a summer creek. The pain in his leg evaporated, and for a moment he found himself thinking this wouldn't be that bad after all. Then his bones moved and he bit down hard on the grass, the bitter taste of it flooding across his tongue. Krystal's mind roared in his head, trying to drown out the pain. Fox looked down and nearly passed out at the sight of his bones moving and reforming seemingly of their own accord. "Grrrrr. Ahhh."

"Almost there. Just hold on." Fiora's brow was furrowed in concentration.

Fox turned his eyes up to Krystal's, and the vixen returned his gaze with as much comfort and love as she could summon. Quite a lot, it would seem. Fox suddenly found himself more able to deal with the pain. He could handle anything if all he had to do was get himself lost in those eyes. The ocean blue irises, and the inky black pupils like a forbidden abyss begging for him to dive into it.

"Alright, I'm done." Fiora tapped him on the leg, and Fox winced instinctively, then relaxed when he didn't feel any pain. "How's it feel?"

Fox spat the grass from his mouth."Fine. Help me up." Krystal helped him to his feet, and Fox cautiously put a bit of weight on his leg. Then a bit more. And finally his full, normal weight. "How did you?"

"Getting the body to heal is a matter of brute force and encouragement," Fiora replied. "I held your bones in place, and then Krystal told them to mend. You're lucky she's so powerful. Feeling your body heal like that is what's painful, not me holding them in place."

Fox turned to Krystal, she smiled and shrugged. "If I told you you'd have known what I was doing, and masking the pain would have been much harder. Sorry."

Fox shook his head. "Don't be sorry. My leg feels as good as knew."

Krystal and Fiora beamed at each other, and then Fiora said, "I suppose now is a good time to tell you we'd never actually done that before."

Fox's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, and for a solid few minutes the only sound in the jungle was relieved, hysterical laughter.

()()()()

Krystal hunkered down on the muddy ridge of a hill, about fifty meters from the Krazoa temple where she had sensed her people. It had taken almost a day to travel from their crash sight to the location. They'd moved stealthily, trying to avoid any traps or defenses in the area. Krystal had projected a non-aura around them, which had hopefully masked their approach from the enslaved telepathy of the Cerinians.

That said, she was exhausted and hungry. They'd had nothing to eat but protein concentrate on the hike here, and even with her SPC armor, a miles long trek through the jungle had left her aching and sore.

Laying on his stomach next to her, Fox sighted on the temple with his blaster. She could sense his unease. They hadn't encountered any bugbots on their way here. It could have been thanks to the jungle, it was notoriously difficult to track anyone through brush as thick as that, especially during a storm. Hell, the impact of their pods might have been muffled or obscured by the frequent booming of thunder overhead. Even so, it was a set of circumstances that seemed all too convenient. "No guards. Nothing to keep us from walking right in."

"No guards that we can see," Krystal reminded him.

"True." Fox glanced at Fiora. "Krys can't sense robots. Can you?"

Fiora shrugged. "Sort of. It's difficult though."

"Why?"

Fiora frowned and looked at the temple. "There's so much psionic energy pouring out of there. It's making it damn near impossible to focus my mind on any one thing."

"It's the same for me," Krystal said. "It's practically a jamming field."

Fox sighed. "Great." He stopped talking for a moment, his head tilted as he considered their options. "We can't just go in the front door," he concluded.

Krystal arched an eyebrow. "Brilliant. What other options do we have?"

"Well, we lost most of our explosives on the ship. I've got a few grenades, but their not enough to breach the walls," Fox said, ignoring her dig. He smiled and turned back to Fiora. "That sword of yours, think it could cut a hole through Krazoa rock?"

Fiora smirked behind her visor. "Without a doubt."

Fox pointed to a spot on the temple wall, it was obscured and covered by an awning and a pair of buttresses. "Right in there. Let's get a better position, so we have a straight line to sprint for it."

The three of them crawled backwards until they were sure they'd be obscured when they stood up, and then Krystal straightened with the rest of them. They moved through the jungle quickly and quietly, avoiding any unnecessary movement that might rustle the foliage around them. "Fox, now that we've lost our ship, do we have a plan for getting back?" Krystal asked.

"If we're successful here we can count on Corneria sending a ship for us," Fox replied.

"And if we're not?"

Fiora chuckled and said, "If we aren't, I think we'll be dead, won't we sis?"

Krystal smiled, though it had not an ounce of mirth or levity contained within in it. "You're right. Stupid question."

Fox held up a fist and then pointed to their target. Krystal nodded and readied herself. Fox counted down from three, and then all three of them burst from cover and sprinted as fast as their armor enhanced legs could carry them. They crossed the twenty meter distance in a flash and pressed their backs against the wet grey stone of the temple wall. Fiora drew her sword and ran a gauntleted hand against the wall, looking for the optimum spot to cut them an entry. She stopped, pointed her blade at the wall, and stabbed right through. Krystal watched the area around them as her sister cut, eyes and ears open for any sign of approaching danger.

Fiora muffled a grunt as she dragged her sword through the thick stone wall. Krystal glanced in her direction and noted the other vixen's progress. She'd cut a space large enough for them to enter single file, in a neat rectangle, and she was about to connect the four corners. Her blade grew blood red with magical energy, the blade almost obscured by the glare. With an upward swipe Fiora withdrew her blade and sheathed it on her back. She held out both hands and used her telekinesis to drag the rectangle or solid rock out, and then set it aside. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly and said, "After you."

Without a word Fox and Krystal slipped in, Fiora following them. Krystal looked around at the place and sucked in a breath. It was magnificent. Tapestries hung along the walls, depicting the icons of various Krazoa lords. The walls were inscribed in long, flowing characters she recognized from temple tours in her youth. A long, spiral staircase led up to the very top of the tower. From there Krystal sensed the malice and hatred that filled the room. From around her though... "Oh goddesses."

"Are they?" Fox shook his head.

Fiora nodded. "All of them."

Hanging suspended in the air, circling the room, were thousands of Cerinians. Their pelts were a riot of colors, blues, greens, reds, golds, pinks. They wore a variety of clothing. Dresses. Tunics. Some were even in bedclothes. There were even children. Krystal's lip curled in a snarl at that sight. Innocent children enslaved by a madman. That wasn't the worst of it though.

The Cerinians were not simply hanging suspended in the air. They were encased in diamonds just like the one Andross had trapped her in at the top of the Krazoa palace. These were like massive versions of the small, precisely cut focusing gems that adorned traditional Cerinian jewelry, like the tiara she had given Fox. All of them were trapped, their faces twisted in fury or defiance or terror, whatever expression they had worn when they were forced into this state.

"Find mother," Krystal said.

Fiora nodded. In this state, with their minds chained and enslaved, and their bodies melded with the crystals, Fiora's sense of objects would be better suited to distinguishing individuals than Krystal's telepathy. Rather than look for the mind of Sapphire Zonoc, they would have to look for her body, locating it by the unique distortions her curves and bones and fur would make in the diamond prison she was in.

It took a few moments, but Fiora settled down on the floor in a cross legged position and closed her eyes. There was a rustling of air, and a single crystal prison floated down to settle gently on the floor. Krystal pulled her helmet off and went to look inside. She felt her breath catch and her eyes tear up. There was her mother. Proud, irascible, outrageous, life of the party Sapphire Zonoc, her face contorted in a look of pure rage. Her mother had not be imprisoned easily. "I never thought I'd see her again."

Fox stood behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. He didn't say anything. There were no words for this situation. Fiora stood up and said, "How do we get her out of there?"

Krystal frowned. "I don't know. We can't break it, it would kill her. The question is what put them in here?" She reached out and lightly touched her fingers against the smooth, clear surface. "Yarus couldn't have done it. Not without help."

"Help from who?" Fox asked. He glanced up the spiral staircase. "And where is Yarus?"

"Hiding at the top," Krystal replied. "This is a trap."

Fox's eyes widened and he raised his blaster, his body immediately moving into a combat position. "And you were going to tell us this when?"

"Right. Now." Krystal pressed her hands flat on the diamond. She knew what she needed to know now. She hoped this worked. "TAL SHIA!" She yelled the words with all her strength. Ancient words of arcane power that had been recorded in tomes and volumes in the temple at the center of her old hometown of Tenked. Words that the Krazoa had to obey.

From within the body of Sapphire Zonoc, the queen bee of the entire telepathic slave circle, came a sickening, evil bit of laughter. It filled the room and shook the walls. Dust rained down on them from windows that hadn't been disturbed in millenia. And then screams of pain pierced Krystal's unprotected ears. Every Cerinian's eyes flew wide open, their eyes and voices full of a pain Krystal and Fox had both known, that of a Krazoa leaving its vessel. Only this was far worse. Because this one didn't want to go.

"TAL. SHIA." Krystal emphasized the words, and put every ounce of willpower she had behind them. The laugh grew louder, and beneath her hands the diamond melted away and her mother settled to the ground. "Mother?"

Sapphire picked herself up and looked at Krystal. She smiled, and it was a sick, deranged, completely non-Sapphire smile. Krystal's eyes widened and before she could do anything she'd been sent sprawling by a burst of telekinetic power. Her mother shouldn't have been able to do that!

"Mum!" Fiora yelled and charged the other blue vixen, but she stopped dead in her tracks and stood still, unable to move. Their auras hadn't protected them in here. Sapphire was too powerful.

With a groan Krystal stood up. Sapphire was using the combined power of every Cerinian in here. No. Whatever was inside of Sapphire was using it. And whatever was inside of her was now coming straight at Fox. It yanked away his blaster, and then snapped it in half. Krystal started running to intercept, sensing that the controlling being had focused every ounce of its attention on Fox.

Sapphire reached out as Fox scrambled away and tackled him to the floor. Her hands, with their delicate fingers, closed around his neck with unnatural strength as her face lit up in sadistic glee. "Did you think I was dead McCloud?"

Krystal sensed true terror in Fox's heart. She closed the last meter between them and shoved her mother away from her mate. Then she grabbed the older vixen's hands, looked into her eyes, and dove inside of her with all her will. She was going to end this. Once, and for all.

()()()()

In her mind Sapphire Zonoc was living a lovely, peaceful life, enjoying a day at the beach, and a vision of her favorite goddess. The wind was cool and the sun was warm. The water lapped at the shores in calm, small waves, and children played in it. Couples cuddled under the shade of palm trees, and her beloved was not far off, though he hadn't quite come back yet. Everything was beautiful. And then it wasn't.

The sun darkened, and Sapphire looked up to see the most hideous being imaginable blotting it out with his form. A head and two hands, that was all. The eyes, yellow and insane, leered down at a point just behind her. The hands were reaching out as if to grab whoever it was behind her that this thing wanted.

"Matem!"

Sapphire turned, but when she did she didn't see anything. Instead, the voice repeated its plea from right behind her, where she'd been looking only a second ago. She spun around again, recognizing the voice. How was she here? "Krystal?"

"Mother!"

Once again the voice was behind her. She tried to turn, but when she did, she still couldn't see her beloved younger daughter. "Krystal, where are you?"

Booming laughter echoed across the beach, shattering what was left of its peaceful, quiet ambience. Sapphire craned her neck to look up at the being hanging in the sky. "Recognize me?" it said.

Sapphire squinted and shook her head. "Whatever you are, I've never seen you before."

"No. You haven't. Perhaps this will jog your memory, though." Sapphire felt the consciousness of this other brush against her mind, and suddenly she felt a presence that she'd felt at the death of her world, and that every Cerinian, wherever they were in the galaxy, would have recognized as the death knell of their planet. "You!"

Krystal's voice spoke from behind her. "Andross."

"Yes. You thought me dead, didn't you?" Andross floated closer, and Sapphire curled her lip in disdain at the disgusting abomination of a simian he had become.

"Yes. Because you are," Krystal replied.

"Daughter," Sapphire said, not bothering to try and find the source of the voice, but taking comfort in its presence. "He's hovering right there."

"It's a piece of him. The last damned piece," Krystal answered. "He's using you. He's using the Krazoa who's home this is to control you and the others. He left behind a sliver of his will to control it."

"What are you talking about?" Sapphire shook her head. Mental shearing like that shouldn't have been possible. To exist in two places at once was beyond even the most powerful telepathic masters. She should know. She was one of them.

"It is possible," Krystal said. "He's done it. His will is...strong. I've felt it. Up close and personal."

"Yes." Andross smiled, his teeth and gums yellow and black with fetid decay. Sapphire began to realize that these physical signs were manifesting themselves for a reason. His over consciousness was dead. And without it, this pitiful little fragment could never withstand them. "An indomitable will. The only will strong enough to rule the galaxy. My will!"

Sapphire shook her head. This all began to make sense. When they'd first been imprisoned the battle had been hard, and it had been lost. She hadn't been able to think a single thought on her own. Even this beach hadn't existed. She'd been locked in a cage, doing whatever she was told not because she'd been tricked into wanting to, like here on the beach, talking to the phantom Siona, but because she had had no other choice. And then it had all changed.

Suddenly instead of being beaten into submission with a cane, she'd been tempted into cooperation with a carrot. She hadn't even been aware of it. She'd simply transitioned from one state to another without even noticing. Blinded by a will still powerful enough to affect her, so long as it didn't reveal itself like it had now. It had all started coming apart when she had spoken to Krystal that first time. The memory began returning. She began to notice the inconsistency in Siona's behavior, so unlike the goddess she knew. But why? Why would Andross, this remnant of him, reveal itself now?

The Krazoa. It was using a Krazoa. The spirits were beings of pure peace. Once, millions of years ago, Sapphire knew they had been great warriors, building weapons and defenses of great power and complexity to defend their worlds. When they had ascended they had renounced violence, something the ancient texts referred to as a "Plague of the Corporeals" and had become passive, only using their power to safeguard their creations. They often hid from other beings, for fear that their passivity would be used against them.

"And it was," Krystal said, her daughter in tune with her thoughts. "On Sauria. Andross enslaved them, used them to graft him back into the physical world. But we defeated him. Now this is all that's left. This leech bleeding a Krazoa to keep you and our people imprisoned. End it. End it now!"

Sapphire heard footsteps behind her, and a deep, caring voice said, "We are here with you."

"Jade."

Jade Zonoc took his place beside his bondmate, and the two of them clasped hands. Around her Sapphire felt the presence of all the thousands of Cerinians that had been kidnapped that night. Their energies forced into subservience by force and deceptions. All of them were filled with a righteous fury.

She looked up at the vision of Andross the Destroyer. The insane megalomaniac who had committed genocide against them and smiled. The ape looked on at the assembled throng, fear in his eyes. He knew what fate awaited him. "You cannot defeat me! I am unstoppable! I commanded fleets of thousands, crushed a system of metal and bone and flesh, and brought the most powerful of the Ascended to heel. I am Andross! And I am..."

"...Done," Sapphire finished for him. Channeling her people's power through her mind she screamed the word through his mind with such overwhelming strength that it drowned out his screams as the last vestige of the mad tyrant was consigned to oblivion.

* * *

A/N: Two more chapters left! This is a big chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Some of these characters you will recognize, both from earlier in the story and from other fics I've written. Word to the wise, don't mess with Sapphy.

I hope everyone has a good holiday, and, as always, thank you for reviewing, faving, following, and reading, you guys are awesome!

See you next time!

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	26. The Storm Passes

Chapter 26

The Storm Passes

All over Lylat faces turned towards the sky. Where once there had been legions of satellites raining smartmatter down into the sky, creating storms and hurricanes of a strength and power no one had ever seen before, now there was nothing but the sight of clouds parting, and the blue and red rays of Lylat and Solar piercing through the gloom. Rain stopped, and floods slowed. Animals that had been hiding in holes or trapped on the branches of trees slowly emerged from concealment. Birds chirped and sang. Oceans, churning with fury only moments before calmed and returned to normal.

Battered refugee camps and CDF command posts looked on in shock as the legions of bugbots that had been assailing them stopped, frozen in place, and then melted into blue puddles, which then dissolved into nothingness.

In orbit around the worlds of Lylat the silent cacophony of laser fire and missile launches came to an abrupt halt as the crews of Corneria's great ships of war saw the smartmatter cruisers they'd been battling stop, shudder, and then explode in brilliant flashes of white light. Stunned commanders ordered scans, and the confused operations officers could only shake their heads and inform them that there was nothing there anymore.

As if it had all been a dream, the last mad nightmare of the maniacal scientist Andross came to an end. A roar of cheers and relieved and disbelieving exclamations filled the air of worlds like Fortuna, Katina, and Zoness. Refugees landing on Corneria, convinced that they would never be able to go home again, were greeted by the news that their worlds had been saved, and that once damage assessments and aid facilities could be made and set up, they would be able to return home, to the colonies they had built out in Lylat.

The Storm had cleared, and Lylat rejoiced.

()()()()

Ivan Yarus stared in disbelief at the monitor in front of him. He had watched it all. He had done exactly as Andross had instructed. When their attempt to kill McCloud and the other trespassers had failed, they had agreed to tempt them inside the temple. Andross would slay McCloud, and end the scourge he had always been to Venom and to the future of Lylat and Andross's Empire. Then he would turn on Krystal and Fiora, and use the power of his captured Krazoa to snare up the last two free Cerinians in the galaxy, and add their powers to the already indomitable Storm. It had been a sure thing. A certain victory. And they'd failed.

Ivan leaned back in his chair and looked around at the carved stone walls of his chamber. When he'd first arrived, being inside of a Krazoa temple, and knowing that its former inhabitant was firmly in the hands of his Emperor, had made him feel invincible. But suddenly it felt claustrophobic, like a trap. Where had it all gone wrong?

"It went wrong when you trusted a madman," an accented voice said from behind him.

Ivan stood and turned around. Sapphire Zonoc stood there, with her two daughters, her husband, and the infernal McCloud. And...another male fox. Dark furred with magenta tattoos. Ah, Decius. A particularly powerful telekinetic specimen.

"You also went wrong when you tried to destroy us," Sapphire growled. She stepped forward, her soft linen dress fluttering with her footsteps.

"You were a threat," Ivan replied. "And also an asset, for a time." He shook his head. "I wish you understood the gift you took from the galaxy."

"That gift killed my mother and father," Fox said, his tone bitter and pained. "How can you call him that?"

"Because your mother and father's lives were insignificant when it came to the greater good of a strong, and stable galaxy," Ivan replied. He saw Fox's eyes grow wild. He didn't care. If the vulpine killed him now it would be better than a trial on Corneria, one where he would be found guilty, and consigned to a life of solitary confinement in a well lit, humane Cornerian prison cell.

Krystal spoke up. "That's where you're wrong. A Cerinian would tell you that when you ignore the individual, you lose the bigger picture. Only small minds think in numbers and charts, the way you do."

Ivan shook his head and sighed. "How sentimental. Are you going to lynch me? Because I'd quite like to have the noose and get it over with."

Ivan stood there, no fear in his eyes or his stomach. He'd made his choice years ago. Just like Corneria had chosen to follow the likes of McCloud and the wonder twin presidents Jack and Agnus Vulpine, he had chosen to follow Andross. A man of vision, and rational clarity. Emotions and empathy were for the weak, and had no place in a galactic ruling class. Just cold, hard, logic.

Sapphire shook her head. "We're not going to lynch you. Death is...far too good for you."

"Then what?" Ivan asked.

The mob of Cerinians parted, and a glowing pink being approached. It had a long, straight beard underneath a flat, slightly simian face. A pair of oval shaped eyes and a slit mouth filled out the rest of the features. Long, energetic tendrils, almost like hair, waved behind it. A Krazoa.

Ivan had spent years studying them. A peculiar and pacifistic species made up of pure energy. Once they had owned worlds across the known galaxy, building temples and dwellings that later, more primitive denizens made in to temples. Weapons as well. For, although the Krazoa as they were now embraced a philosophy of near total peace, millions of years ago they had built some of the most awe inspiring weapons in galactic history. All of them dormant and hidden now, of course. Andross had pursued them for a brief time as Chief Scientist of Corneria, and as Emperor of Venom his interest had only grown stronger.

Fear crept into the foundations of Ivan's mind. Primitives often associated peace and pacifism with weakness and leniency. Violence was the only language of strength they understood. It was the only way to create fear on a grand or intimate scale. As mortal beings, Yarus and everyone in this room naturally feared death or injury. And the societies they created utilized this as a deterrent, whether or not they admitted to it.

But what about the Krazoa? To think they had no means of punishment was foolish. The number of things they had locked up all over the galaxy for causing truly dangerous trouble was staggering. Even some of their own kind.

Ivan tried to keep his persona unconcerned. "Eternal torment then? Fire and brimstone?"

Sapphire shook her head, and the Krazoa whispered an answer. He didn't understand a word of its soft, under the breath language, but the Cerinians did, unusual since their language was embedded in the subconscious, and generally universal. The Krazoa communicated largely through telepathy, the audible words that could be heard simply a means of focusing attention, or distracting it, as the situation required. Whatever the Krazoa had said, Ivan was not meant to have heard it. Instead, the honor of pronouncing sentence was given to Sapphire, the leader of the Cerinian survivors.

"Your consciousness will be placed in a Soul Stone," Sapphire began. A Soul Stone. A rare means of essence preservation. Known by other names such as a Durance or Immortal Stone. "You will remain there for the next one million years. You will be aware of all that passes, and every second of those years."

"Hmm. A million years?" Ivan did his best to scoff. "I'll have plenty of time to think, I suppose. Think of the wonders I'll make in my mind, with time like that."

The smirk that flickered across Sapphire Zonoc's muzzle chilled Ivan's heart, and reminded him that he should be afraid. "As a being of moderate intelligence, even by Krazoa reckoning, thought is as vital to you as air is to anyone. As such, and as a means of rehabilitation, you will be permitted only one action: to dwell on the memories of the victims of your crimes, and one thought: atonement."

Ivan stared, not certain what to make of the punishment. Before he could ask or make light of it, or do anything to try and spit in his enemy's victory cup, the Krazoa surged forward. Ivan raised an arm in a futile attempt to block it, but the Krazoa entered his body, and before he realized it took control of every aspect of his mind, both conscious and subconscious. Around him his body dissolved into nothing, and he felt what his Emperor must have felt in the moment of his death and elevation to a higher plane. He felt himself become a being of pure thought, unbound from the physical world. Incorporeal.

Then he saw the Stone. An egg shaped hunk of faceted crystal, cleaved from a single source lost to time in the far distant past, like all the others of its kind. His mind settled inside of it, and where a moment ago he might have been able to stretch his consciousness to the edges of the universe, now his awareness stopped at the walls of his prison. Through the clear rock he could see the world around him. He was in a room. On a shelf. And around him, lined up on shelves of their own, were Soul Stones, each holding a mind as doomed as his own. Waiting for the end of its sentence.

Then Ivan heard children laughing. He saw them, playing in a meadow, throwing berries they'd picked at each other. And then he saw Corneria City, its lights brilliant in the night, and he was in a bedroom, where a Cornerian uniform hung and a man and his wife whispered to each other for the last time as they lay in each other's arms. He heard wails of grief, and he saw the same young woman in a closed casket, surrounded by family, a mother clutching at the wood of the coffin and scratching marks in it with her claws as her husband rubbed her back, his face stoic, and his eyes enraged. Those eyes stared at him, blaming him. Rightfully. And a hundred million other eyes did the same, as Ivan watched millions of lives begin and end at his hands, at the hands of things he had built or orders he had given. He saw people on Corneria, Cerinia, Zoness, even Venom and Sauria. And all he could think as he watched was how desperately he wanted to atone, to make amends for his crimes. And how he never would. Because all of this would be dust and forgotten in a million years. Just like him, and everything he had created.

Although he couldn't think it, deep down in his soul, Ivan Yarus knew he was in hell.

* * *

A/N: Those last few lines...oof. I get the heebie jeebies reading them, that's for sure.

I don't want to leave everyone on such a dark note for the end of the year though, so this week is a double update! Click that next button for the final closing chapter of Star Fox: The Storm!

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	27. New Cerinia

Chapter 27

New Cerinia

Krystal had never felt so happy in her life. She had her people back. And although there were a great many missing, all of them gone, the survivors were anything but melancholy. They were joyous. Within a day ships from Lylat had begun arriving, responding to a signal relayed through the Krazoa that Star Fox was alive, and that they had a few thousand mouths to feed and people to shelter. In all her days Krystal had never seen such generosity.

First the Cornerian Defense Force had come. An entire carrier group carrying food, medical supplies, and emergency shelters. Troops had landed and begun dispensing the supplies and treating minor injuries. They'd even brought candy for the children. There had been a lot of teary eyed Cerinians at the sight of it all.

Now it had been a week, and the troopers had withdrawn, replaced by a colony ship dispatched by Fara Phoenix and Phoenix Corp. Fara had landed and gone straight to the hastily assembled town council, chaired by Krystal's mother, Sapphire, to inform them that Phoenix Corp would be building them a made to order colony, with everything from indoor plumbing to solar power generators, at no cost. It was beyond generous. It was a miracle. Fox had nearly choked when he heard the words coming from Fara's mouth. And Krystal sensed that this type of generosity was not typical for Fara. Something had softened her outlook on life, she could tell.

And so now, a week later, a colony was beginning to take shape. Every Cerinian was helping in whatever way they could. Children ran back and forth with water and food, and telekinetics raised structures in a fraction of the time it would have taken the robots and engineers that Fara had brought with her. Krystal even had her own little home now, with windows and a bath, and a bed to sleep on.

The rest of Star Fox had arrived with Fara. After some good natured complaining, Falco, Katt, and Slippy had all joined in the building. Slippy was distinguishing himself by coming up with environmentally sensitive solutions to numerous problems, something the Cerinians, ever concerned with the preservation of nature, considered him something of goddess-send for.

Sitting down on the ground and resting her back against the wall of a supply warehouse, Krystal took a deep breath of the fresh jungle air and let her eyes close. She released her telepathy, letting it bob and linger all over the colony. It felt so good. So many minds, so many telepaths, and so many people happy to be alive. In the face of all their suffering, there was no Cerinian who could be considered ungrateful for the gift of survival, even if all of them privately lamented the fact that so many had been denied that gift.

"Have you spoken to him?"

Krystal yelped in surprise and opened her eyes. She looked up and for a moment thought the goddess Siona had decided to come down from the heavens and scold her for something. Or seduce her. An unbonded like her could never quite know with Siona. Instead it was her mother, Sapphire Zonoc, Seneschal Priestess of Siona, and the closest thing to the goddess in appearance there was on the mortal plane. "Spoken to who?"

Sapphire sat down on the ground with her daughter and crossed her legs, brushing a stray lock of ice blue hair out of her eyes. Her fur was a bit damp, and Krystal could smell the musk of afterglow still on her. She arched an eyebrow. "There's lots to do," Sapphire replied, a smile on her face. "Even so, a couple should still find time for a bit of healthy fornication."

Krystal rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue in mock disgust. "You and father always find time."

"Yes. We do." Sapphire's tail wagged behind her. "He's quite the man your father. So strong and yet so gentle. You know, he and I once..."

"Mother." Krystal held up a hand, desperate to forestall one of her progenitor's infamous bawdy tales of mated exploits.

Sapphire stopped herself and nodded. "No. Quite right. You don't need to hear that one." They were quiet for a moment, and Sapphire reached down to tear out a bit of grass from the ground. She started playing with it between her fingers. Then she said, "So, have you spoken to him?"

"Who?" Krystal asked. She knew who her mother was referring to, but she wanted to make the older vixen work for it. Just a little.

"That big orange stud you've been hanging around all the time," Sapphire replied, leaning forward, her eyes aflame with her particular brand of outrageous mischief. "He's quite handsome. And his thoughts are so...pure."

Krystal smiled. "On Sauria the Krazoa called him Pure of Heart. He entered their shrines, and he carried not one, but five spirits to the Palace in order to rescue me."

"I know." Sapphire hummed a little tune to herself, then said, "You have my permission."

Krystal was silent for a moment, letting that wonderful sensation of parental approval wash over her. She'd have gone through with it even if her mother had forbidden it, but it felt good to know that that wouldn't be necessary. "He's not Cerinian," Krystal replied.

"My blue pumpkin, if that's a problem for you, I didn't raise you very well," Sapphire told her, voice and tone stern.

Krystal reached out and patted her mother's knee. "I didn't say it was a problem. Forgive me. A moment of weakness, talking to a parent."

"Hmm." Sapphire laughed then. A deep, throaty laugh, entirely uncharacteristic of her noble blood. It was very much like Fiora's. Krystal wondered at the fact that Fiora could ever have worried about their mother. The two of them were more alike than either probably realized. "After marrying your father, a common jeweler, I've no moral right to disapprove of you marrying an earthworm."

"Gross." Krystal stuck her tongue out again. "But you're serious? I could have him?"

Sapphire smiled and set the pieces of grass she'd been fiddling with on the ground between them. She'd tied a knot. "Your minds should be as one my dear. They already are in spirit. And..." she got a devilish look on her face. "Do please screw him into the carpet."

Krystal frowned at her mother. "You were so close."

With a heinous cackle Sapphire bounced up onto her feet, chest heaving, and said, "Close? I'm always close. At least with your father. Now where is he? I want to go watch him lift heavy objects."

Krystal stood up and hugged her mother. "It's hard to believe your over forty."

"Shhh. Don't tell anyone," Sapphire answered, putting a finger to her daughter's lips. "And besides, I'm not even close to middle age."

"I suppose you do have more than a hundred more birthdays to look forward to," Krystal replied. "Just try not to give me a baby sibling, huh?"

"No promises." Sapphire kissed her daughter on both cheeks and then skipped away, her tail bobbing after her. "Jade? Jade! I need help spreading something!"

Krystal shook her head and ran a hand down her muzzle. Her mother was both an inspiration and a nightmare. Now to find Fox.

()()()()

With a grunt Fox set down the metal beam he'd been lugging from the nearby supply dump to the construction sight. "Is this the one you wanted, Slip?"

Slippy looked at it, kicked it with his foot for some incomprehensible reason, and then said, "That's the one. Thanks Fox."

"No problem." Fox took a breath, then wiped the sweat from his brow. It was hot here in the jungle. Deciding that no one would mind he took the bottom of his shirt in hand and lifted it off. A whistle came from behind him and he blushed as he turned around to find the source of it.

Katt Monroe came waltzing over, grinning from ear to pink ear. "Man, so many shirtless men at this construction site. Why, a girl might start to feel a bit threatened."

Fox shook his head and draped his shirt around his neck. Shy though he was, he could still get the urge to...well, flaunt a little. His father had always taught him that a tod should be a tease. With how good he was feeling these days, Fox felt like it was time to start heeding the old man's advice and be a bit more adventurous. "You? Threatened? Every man within twenty meters of you knows you'd have their balls inside out if they tried anything."

"Damn straight," Katt said, her tail flicking in amusement. "Still, that is some eye candy. Almost as good as Falco."

"Almost?" Fox quirked his eyebrow.

"Yeah, almost." Falco's voice came from behind him, and Fox turned to see the avian also shirtless, and staring at his friend suspiciously. "There a reason you're flaunting in front of my girl?"

Fox rolled his eyes. "If it's that much of a threat to your self-confidence I'll put the damn shirt back on."

"Threat to my self-confidence?" Falco shook his head and struck a pose that only he could think didn't look ridiculous. "You see these abs? These pecs? Best in Lylat. Bar none. You're like...fifth. A distant fifth."

Fox put his face in his palm and said, "Right. I assume you practice that pose in the mirror every morning?"

"He does." Katt stepped between them. "Falco, honey, I gotta talk to Fox. Privately."

Falco cawed in indignation, then Katt made some weird sign/expression and comprehension seemed to dawn on him. Fox could only assume the two of them had come up with a non-verbal language unique to the two of them. "Yeah. Fine. I'll just go over there."

"And put your shirt on honey, no one wants to see that," Katt called after him.

She laughed when Falco flipped her off and muttered something insulting under his breath.

"How do you stand him?" Fox asked, trying not to be nauseated at the way Katt was eyebanging Falco from behind.

"Because at heart, he's a lot like you," Katt said. "He just doesn't want to show it." She turned to Fox. "Now, about you."

()()()()

Krystal strode down the rapidly emerging main road of the colony. All around her work continued on building their new home. Robots and live laborers alike toiled to dig foundations, lay pipes, and set up solar panels. New Cerinia wouldn't exactly be a rustic temple town, but it would serve. And besides, thought Krystal, if ever there was a moment to let go of the past, this was it. She was proud of her people, and her mother especially, for embracing this new world as a fresh start, rather than trying to recapture past glory.

As she approach the end of the road she spotted Fox standing with Katt, the two of them talking in an animated fashion. Krystal paused for a moment to admire the fact that Fox had removed his shirt. The muscles on his back were taut and well defined beneath his thin summer coat. He looked so strong, and yet she knew he had a gentle soul. He would make a wonderful bondmate.

Poking her head around Fox's shoulder Katt spotted the blue vixen and waved her over. Krystal closed the last bit of distance and lightly brushed her hand across Fox's back, planting a kiss on his cheek. "What are you two conspiring about?"

"N-nothing." Fox stiffened a bit when she dragged her fingers down his spine. She loved that about him. The flirting never got old with him. Even a peck on the cheek like she'd just given him was enough to make the tod's day. "Just uh, y'know. Stuff."

Krystal arched an eyebrow and looked at Katt. The pink feline rolled her eyes and said, "I think you two should talk."

"Mm." Krystal nodded and took Fox's hand in hers. "I agree."

Fox took a deep breath and turned to her. "Mating?"

"Mating," Krystal repeated, heat rising to her cheeks at the thought. Her eyes traveled down his naked chest, admiring all that wonderful musculature. The way his fur glistened a little with the sweat he was working up out here. His scent filled her nostrils. What it would be to have all that on top of her. Or beneath her. And to feel his mind. It wasn't just the sex, though she knew it would be fantastic. It was the way they would come to know each other in a way no one else ever would.

"I'll leave you two to it," Katt said. "And there's a tarp over there," she added, punctuating her teasing observation with a wink.

Fox sighed and shook his head. "It seems like everyone around here is just waiting for us to finally smash."

Krystal giggled and guided him away from the town. They stepped a few meters into the jungle and sat down on a fallen log. Krystal picked at the wood for a moment, then said, "We've been through quite a bit."

"In a very short time," Fox agreed.

"If you're not ready..." Krystal looked at him, and she put a hand on his cheek so he couldn't be bashful and look away. "I'll wait however long I have to."

Fox smiled and leaned his cheek into her palm. "That's sweet," he said, blushing as he spoke. "But I've waited long enough. If you're ready, I'm ready."

Krystal leaned forward and brought their lips together. Fox's tail beat against the wood of the log as he pressed back, and as their tongues started a playful wrestling match. Krystal wrapped her arms around his neck, and his snaked around her waist. She shifted so that she came to be sitting in his lap, all without breaking that heavenly kiss. Fox grew bold and let his hands travel down her hips, and then his fingers and palms cupped her toned, athletic rear. Krystal moaned approval into the kiss, then pulled back. Fox was staring up at her, fire in his eyes. If it were up to him they'd do the deed right here and now.

Placing a finger on his lips Krystal said, "After we mate a lot is going to change. Your mind is going to have to get used to the link."

"I can handle it, I promise," Fox said, staring up at her with divine devotion.

Krystal kissed him on the nose. "I know you can. But it's going to be distracting for awhile. First times are almost always done at night among my people, that way we can share our dreams and acclimate in private."

Fox frowned. "So what you're saying is, I have to wait a little longer?"

"Mmhmm." Krystal pressed her lips against his right ear and whispered, "And then I'll make every one of your fantasies come true."

Fox shuddered and whispered back, "And I'll do the same for you."

They sat there for a few minutes, holding each other close, and then Krystal extricated herself from his loving arms and said, "We better get back. There's a party tonight, and I promised I'd help my sister get it ready."

Fox stood up and started walking back with her. "Does Fiora throw good parties?"

"No. She's an abysmal social planner," Krystal said with a laugh.

"Then why is she in charge?" Fox cocked his head and waved to Slippy when the toad spotted him.

"Because my mother enjoys torturing the two of us," Krystal replied. "Go and help Slippy, and then tonight I'll rock your world." She kissed him on the cheek again, waited for him to return the gesture, then skipped off like her mother had, as happy as can be.

()()()()

The stars above the rapidly emerging settlement of New Cerinia sparkled with vivid intensity. The only light in the settlement came from the bonfires and torches the Cerinians preferred, and a few high intensity beams around the larger construction sights.

Music filled the air, played on drums and, much to Fox's surprise and joy, an instrument not unlike his native Papetoonian bagpipe. He'd never been so happy in his life.

Tipping back his head he took a long draught of imported Cornerian beer, letting it trickle down his neck without a care in the world. When he lowered the stein, empty, Krystal was at his side, wearing the same brass bra and loin cloth she'd worn when they first met, nuzzling him and licking the dribbles from his neck with glee. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and the two of them began a raucous circling dance around the fire.

In a moment they were joined by Krystal's mother and father, Sapphire singing bawdy drinking songs as she rubbed her rear suggestively against her husband Jade. Cheers went up from everyone present when Jade grabbed her round the waist, picked her up in the air, and ran for the nearest cluster of bushes, Sapphire giggling wildly.

Off to one side Fay leaned against the wall of a newly completed dwelling with Miyu, the lynx, as usual, preferring to watch the festivities from afar for awhile before joining in. "Where's Jenny? This seems like her kind of party," Miyu said.

Fay chuckled and said, "She and the new Fleet Admiral Hatch are tearing up some carpet back home."

Miyu arched an eyebrow, then said, "Lucky them. Is there anything to eat around here?"

"I saw them roasting something over a fire," Fay said.

"Good. I'm starved." Miyu took her girlfriend's hand, and with a short grimace, soon replaced by reluctant joy and then not so much, waded into the party.

Sitting on the roof of the New Cerinia Colony supply depot, Falco looked up at the stars and spent a moment contemplating his life. It was pretty damn fantastic in his opinion. That point confirmed he took a swig of his coke and looked next to him at Katt. She was always next to him. Maybe not, like, literally, but he knew that despite the grave galactic injustice that not everybody spent all day thinking about him, he could always count on the fact that he was never far from her pink tinged thoughts. He smiled. That was enough, he realized. He rested a hand on top of hers, and went back to looking at the stars.

Fiora wiped sweat from her brow and flung the rock against the tree fifty meters distant with her mind. It hit the third lowest branch with enough speed and precision that it sliced right through and crashed to the ground, startling the sleeping birds on the next highest branch.

"Not bad," Decius said, nodding his head approvingly. "For a halfsy."

Fiora growled at him. "Halfsy eh? Just because I have good telepathy and great telekinesis doesn't mean you have to be insulting. I'd like to see you do better."

"Mmm. You've given me an idea." The dark and magenta tattooed fox smiled evilly.

"Oh?" Fiora felt a tickle on her back. And then her sides. And then all over. She started to laugh, and then she collapsed on the ground, all giggles and tears. "Bastard!" Decius just smiled down at her, love and mischief in his eyes, and Fiora felt nothing but happiness. Her mate had returned, and everything in the world was right again.

Normally Fara Phoenix didn't pull babysitting duty when there was a wild party to attend, but something about tonight had compelled her to check in on the younger Cerinians. The hour was late and most of the youngsters had fallen asleep. The village elders were watching them, most of them dozing off as well.

Fara watched with a smile as a brother and sister cuddled together under a blanket, a stuffed toy in both of their arms. Another little girl, her fur a vibrant emerald green, opened her eyes, looked at her, and smiled with a look of innocent wisdom, before going back to sleep.

A pair of white fluffy arms wrapped around her middle, and a muzzle rested on her shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey," said Bonny.

"Aren't they adorable?" Fara whispered.

"Yes. Not as adorable as ours will be though," he replied, rubbing her tummy. It was too early for it to have swollen, but yesterday they had both learned that there was a little Bonny/Fara mix growing in there.

"True."

"I spoke to Secretary Hare," he said.

"What did Peppy have to say?" Fara's insides fluttered. They'd talked about this when they had gotten married. About Bonny taking a desk job whenever it happened.

"He says I'm the new Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense," Bonny's voice was filled with pride.

Fara turned and grinned. "Congratulations."

"The hours will still be abysmal," he warned.

"Maybe," Fara said. "But we'll make it work. Text me on your late nights and I'll pack a riding crop and pay you a visit."

Bonny chuckled and kissed her. "It's a deal."

()()()()

Krystal grinned and shoved Fox McCloud against the wall of their bedroom. They'd started building a nice little house here in the settlement, but for now they were in prefab, Phoenix Corp sponsored housing. It didn't matter. Anywhere that she could be with him was home to her. The room was lit by a flickering lantern, and the bed was big enough for the two of them. And hell, even if it wasn't, there was always the floor, or they could find a nice spot out in the forest.

"I love you," she whispered as Fox slowly unbuckled her brass top.

"I love you, too," Fox replied, his breath catching and his nerves spiking as Krystal's hands dove down his pants. She purred at what she found and he relaxed. He shouldn't have worried. She'd seen it before, back in the decon chamber.

A moment later they stood naked before each other, each of them drinking in the sight of the other. Then they came together, and spent the rest of the night joined at the hip, and awash in each other's warmth, scent, and feelings. Their minds came together, and after that night, they ceased to be Fox McCloud and Krystal Zonoc. Instead, they were Krystal McCloud Fox Zonoc. Forever one and the same. Bonded mates.

 _ **THE END**_

* * *

A/N: And there you have it ladies and gents. After almost a year The Storm has finally ended. It's been an incredible journey and I can't thank everyone who came along for it enough.

With the Storm over it'll be time to move onto the next thing. I have plenty more ideas to put down and stories to tell. I don't know when I'll have the next one ready to post, but rest assured if you enjoy my scribbles, there are oodles more to come!

As always, a thank you to all who read, reviewed, faved, and followed, you guys are the best!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and are looking forward to the new year, I know I am. Now, we best let these two foxes have some privacy.

See you all starside!

-general whitefur


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